The Falling: Darkness Rising
by aadixon
Summary: As Hermione struggles with the decisions that she has made, the Wizarding world must face the wrath of a very calculating and dangerous Lord Voldemort. Harry, Hermione and the Alliance will have to decipher friend from enemy if they wish to survive as the line between right and wrong blurs more with each passing day.; AU; Sequel to The Falling;(First three chapters updated 4/10/18)
1. Dealing With Death

**The Falling  
Darkness Rising**

 **Chapter Twenty-Six: Dealing with Death**

Hermione was holding Harry's hand as they stood in a cool September mist along the grounds of Hogwarts with several hundred other witches and wizards. Though he was not Headmaster of Hogwarts at his time of death, the Ministry decided to honor Dumbledore's last request and have his body laid to rest in the grounds of Hogwarts overlooking the Black Lake.

Hermione could not help but reflect back upon the previous day's memorial that had honored the lives of two brave and deserving people, Frank and Alice Longbottom. The Wizarding world had all but forgotten the two souls that lived in St Mungos for over the last decade. Their death was barely mentioned in The Prophet; a tiny footnote on the second page. The memorial turnout was nothing more than a small affair. If they had died at the hand of Bellatrix Lestrange all those years ago, their funeral would have marked a day of mourning for the loss of two great Aurors and the future Heads of the Longbottom Family.

A horn sounded in the distance and slowly, all those in attendance for Dumbledore's funeral were seated in rows of white chairs that were divided into two sections. As Hermione and Harry were seated, she got her first glance of the white tomb in which Dumbledore would be laid to rest. Bile rose in her throat at the thought of the former Headmaster being honored in such a way. In her eyes, he deserved none of this. Onlookers would interpret their facial expressions as those of grief, though she and Harry were far from it. She knew that Harry was filled with mixed emotions; however she could only feel one thing—disgust.

The ceremony, of sorts, proceeded with all the grandeur that one would have expected from the passing of a great influential figure. Once his body was laid to rest in the white tomb by an Honor Guard, Hogwarts Governors and Ministry officials took turns lamenting the life of the departed Professor Dumbledore. As they did so, Hermione replayed in her mind the last moments of Professor Dumbledore's life; the things he chose to tell her – no, admit to her. He had chosen his last words none too carefully though, as he had expected her to accept what he had done for the "Greater Good".

 **~~~Darkness Rising~~~**

The rest of the day ended in a blur for Hermione. She barely registered anything that anyone said or did around her until they arrived back at Grimmauld Place that evening.

"Survival is what I would call it," Harry said, leading Hermione into the sitting room by the hand.

Hermione knew that he was answering someone, but it wasn't until that moment that she realized that nearly the whole of the Alliance was gathered around them, filling the room to nearly an uncomfortable level.

"We know that Professor Dumbledore had made some bad choices Harry, but his death does present a problem," Neville interjected, an icy chill to his tone.

"How can you be so cold about Professor Dumbledore's death?"

"He has placed us all in this position, Angelina," Harry replied. "He knew where Hermione's parents were the entire time. He could have rescued them at any point. Instead, he forced us to act. In doing so, he opened himself up to a vulnerability that he did not see coming."

"Voldemort blackmailed my mum into attacking Dumbledore at the Ministry, Angelina," Ron added. "The bloody bastard wouldn't have had the chance to if Dumbledore had gone on the offensive the moment they kidnapped Ginny from the Ministry."

Sirius sighed, standing next to the fireplace. "We all agree that Dumbledore made some terrible choices. Now, he's dead—and there's nothing we can do about that."

"Or would want to."

Sirius gave Harry a hard stare but said nothing. Hermione knew that Sirius was concerned if Harry took too hard of a line against the memories of Dumbledore, he risked dividing the Alliance. Sirius had been preaching to Harry the need to strengthen the Alliance and gain the trust of the Order.

"So … what's next?" Ron asked, leaning against the back of one of the sofas.

"Next, the Ministry expects all students to return to Hogwarts on Halloween," Arthur replied as he entered the room. "The School Governors have been most persistent about it in meetings over the last few days."

"Why should we?" Neville asked, playing with one of the trinkets on the mantle. "Are we expected to just go back to school like good little children while the adults handle it?"

"That's exactly what they expect." said Bill, sitting next to Fleur. "Word from the inside is that while Madam Bones is attempting to focus Magical Britain's resources to the fight against Voldemort, she is being undermined from within. Several Wizengamot chairs are using their influence to underplay Voldemort's return."

"At first, I was against the idea of going back to Hogwarts as well." Harry now stood in the midst of the group, Hermione directly at his side. "Now that we've had several days to reflect, Hermione and I agree that it's the best option we have. I request that you all do the same."

Neville frowned, folding his arms. "Why?"

"It will serve as our base of operations." Hermione finally found her voice for the first time that evening. "It will provide us with a stronghold and a cover. We have ways to leave and return to the castle completely unnoticed."

"I still don't like this," Hermione's mum interjected, voicing her opinion from the far side of the room.

Hermione's dad placed a hand on her knee. "Dear, we've been over this. They can either fight or wait to be killed."

Hermione's heart ached to hear her mother worry so and see the anguish on her face.

"They won't be fighting alone," Sirius said firmly. "We will be with them all the way."

"Agreed." Hermione turned to see Professor McGonagall and Mrs. Longbottom entering through the doorway. "While the school defenses are being strengthened, there will also be a multitude of adult witches and wizards assisting our young Alliance—both inside and outside of the school."

Cassie walked over, taking Sirius by the hand. "Speaking of Hogwarts, what will become of Severus Snape?"

Hermione's blood ran cold again at the thought of Snape visiting her mum and dad while in captivity, offering them words of hollow comfort. Her face contorted in disgust, as though she had tasted something sour.

"The School Governors will be evaluating his post while the DMLE investigates whether there is enough evidence to arrest him," Professor McGonagall replied.

Harry squeezed the bridge of his nose with his fingers and Hermione knew that it was to prevent himself from shouting.

"Not to worry, Mr Potter," Mrs. Longbottom added, spying Harry's reaction. "The School Governors will not be granting Severus Snape his return to Hogwarts on the thirty-first of October."

"How do you know?"

Mrs. Longbottom smiled for the first time in several days. "I know, Mr. Potter, because I have replaced Lucius Malfoy as a Hogwarts Governor."

"Brilliant!" Ron shouted, punching the air.

Harry clapped, "Congratulations."

"Thank you, Mr. Potter. And while it may be brilliant, as young Mr Weasley puts it, we have several posts at Hogwarts that must now be filled."

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat. "Speaking of which, I'm hoping to fill Umbridge's post of Defense Against the Dark Arts and my old post today."

"Do we know these potential professors?" Harry asked.

"Absolutely. My niece and your godfather," Professor McGonagall replied, turning her gaze to Sirius and Cassie.

The whole of the room turned to stare at the dumbstruck couple in front of the fireplace. Hermione thought the idea was excellent, but she wondered if Sirius would consider based upon his facial expressions.

"Minerva, I don't know what to say …"

"I think we need time to think about it."

Professor McGonagall smiled. "Of course. Take your time. November will be here before you know it."

Hermione thought she heard Sirius growl before Cassie subtly yanked his arm.

"Not to be a spoil sport, but we need to discuss what to do about Charlie, Tonks and Ginny."

Sirius cleared his throat, coughing slightly. "Before we get to that, Bill, we need to eat something before some of us fall over from starvation. I've invited the Order over, minus Snape of course, to join us."

"I'm not so certain that is a good idea, Sirius. With Snape still at large and Dumbledore gone, we take a huge risk meeting."

"I agree, Arthur. That is why we will be taking this meeting elsewhere."

Sirius walked across the sitting room to fetch a small box from a shelf before returning to the fireplace. He grabbed a handful of floo powder and tossed it into the grate; the fire now glowing a bright green.

Mrs Longbottom, looked concerned. "Where are we going?"

"You'll find out," Sirius smirked. "I'll hand each of you a piece of paper. Read it, then step into the fireplace and repeat the last line."

Hermione's brow furrowed as she contemplated what the old Marauder was up to. She even saw the Weasley twins, who had been quiet and somber the entire time, perk up. One by one, they stepped forward and took a piece of paper from Sirius to activate the obvious Fidelius charm. She opened her paper and smirked as she read it.

 _Lord Sirius Black, king of the Marauders, humbly grants you access to:_

 _Lord Black's Palace_

Hermione knew that Sirius was trying to lighten the mood of the day, though for her this was an impossible task. It did seem to help others, as she heard Ron and the Weasley twins snort as they shouted, "Lord Black's Palace!"

* * *

Harry looked about in awe as he stepped out of the grate into a massive foyer, complete with chandelier and fountain. Hermione stepped out behind him, having to push him aside to keep from tripping.

"Did you know about this?" Hermione asked, looking around.

Harry shook his head, taking in the massive manor house. "No more than you."

"Greetings, Master Harry! Mistress Hermione!" Dobby greeted, bouncing up and down as he greeted them.

"Dobby, where are we?"

"Master Sirius' palace! Dobby has been helping Kreacher prepare the palace for Master's arrival!"

"The upstairs is as big as the down!" Ron shouted from above.

Harry looked up to the top of the grand staircase that sat at the far of the foyer to see Ron gawking from the banister.

"Ron! Show some dignity!"

"No worries, Arthur," Cassie chuckled, appearing behind them. "Sirius slid down the banister at least three times before he fell off and busted his—"

"Pride," Sirius interjected, stepping out of the fireplace.

"When and how did you find this place?" Harry asked, looking at his godfather in disbelief.

"Well … let's see, I suppose that you thought I sat and waited anxiously at home for my godson to need me. Reality is that I've had some catching up to do since being exonerated."

"Very nice manor house you have here, Sirius," Mrs. Longbottom said, looking around. "Somewhere in Scotland, I believe?"

"Correct, Aug. Not much larger than yours, but more than enough to suit me. It took me regaining my Lordship to regain possession of it. My father purchased this place as a way to elevate the family's stature, but my mother would never live here due to the fact that it was originally built by foreigners."

"Yes, your mother was a bit—narrow."

"Narrow? She was prejudice as hell."

"Glad you were able to regain ownership," Mrs. Longbottom said, ignoring Sirius' last statement. "Now, I presume that all the necessary protections are in place."

"Absolutely. Now, the others are waiting in the formal dining area and Kreacher has been slaving away to prepare a grand meal."

Sirius extended his elbow to Mrs Longbottom, who bowed her head before accepting his arm.

"Never paid attention to high society goings, my arse," Cassie huffed, rolling her eyes as she followed Sirius down a hallway next to the grand staircase.

Harry was suddenly seized by a desire to explore the entire house but fought the urge as he knew that he'd have plenty of time to do so later. His concern at that time wasn't all the comings and goings as he followed Cassie into an indeed formal dining area that was a fourth the size of the Great Hall. He wasn't even bothered by seeing members of the Alliance and the Order gathered together only weeks after they all nearly died. What concerned him was the fact that Hermione had been acting very different.

Harry had noticed that ever since Dumbledore's death, Hermione had changed. She wasn't scared or nervous—she was cold. It wasn't that she wasn't affectionate or caring. Every night since the Battle at the Ministry, she had snuck into his room and snuggled with him as they went to sleep. It was since Dumbledore's death that she had gripped on to him as though he was her lifeline and pushed everyone else except for her parents away. It was disturbing for him to see her so insecure and so cold to people that she cared about.

"Harry?"

Harry jumped as Hermione's voice stirred him from his own thoughts. He looked around to see everyone around the table staring at him. Truthfully, he couldn't even remember sitting down.

"Sorry—what?"

"I proposed a toast," Sirius said, looking at his godson with a pensive stare.

Harry then realized that everyone else was holding a goblet in their right hand. He immediately picked up his goblet and waited.

Sirius continued, "A toast then, to Dumbledore and to Frank and Alice Longbottom. May they never be forgotten for the good things they did."

"And may their deaths be avenged," Lupin added.

"Here, here," the group chimed, before taking drinks from their goblets. Harry noticed that Hermione's hand shook as she sipped her pumpkin juice.

The meal that Kreacher and Dobby prepared was delicious with everything from roasted ham to plum pudding. Harry truly thought that the Hogwarts house-elves would be envious. As expected, good food leads to better spirits, and better spirits lead to casual conversation. Before long the table was filled with mixed conversations ranging from Muggle medicine to Quidditch. There was little talk of Voldemort or danger, and Harry knew that there would be plenty of time to discuss that later.

 **~~~Darkness Rising~~~**

"Now that we've all been fed, watered and sweetened, we can settle into discussing the harder topics."

Sirius fetched a bottle of fire whiskey and popped the cork.

Moody's normal eye followed the bottle while his magical eye spun about scanning the room. "And drink."

"We're still going to have a meeting tonight?" Ron asked, eying the clock that read, a quarter till ten.

"I believed that it was best to wait and discuss Alliance or Order business after the meal was finished. I invited everyone here tonight as a way to lift our spirits and celebrate life as is our custom after death."

"Why not invite the other Alliance members and their families as well?"

"Some topics that we will be discussing tonight won't be appreciated by certain families of the younger Alliance members, Ms. Johnson."

"Like Seamus' mum," Neville added.

"Unfortunately, yes," Professor McGonagall agreed.

Mr. Granger stood up. "We'll just retire back to Grimmauld Place then. We don't want to interfere—"

"Nonsense, Eugene. I believe that you two have every right to be here."

"I agree with Sirius." Moody's magical eye focused on Mr. Granger's face. "You may be able to give some insight, even if you're not aware of it. Something we say may spur a memory."

Mr. Granger nodded, sitting back down. "Well, if we're staying then pass me some of that fire whiskey."

Sirius happily poured Mr. Granger a goblet of fire whiskey who took a sip before smacking his lips appreciatively.

Moody drained a freshly poured goblet of fire whiskey. "Before we move forward with these talks, I believe that we need to elect a new leader."

"Harry's the leader of the Alliance."

"Mr. Potter may have formed your 'Alliance', young Weasley, but we need a real leader," Moody growled.

"Harry made the plan," Fred said, smacking the table angrily with the palm of his hand.

"That saved the Grangers," George added.

"And exposed Voldemort's return to the world," Fred finished.

"His plan was thin at best," Moody retorted. "There were too many risks … and we paid for them."

"How dare you sit there and blame Harry for anything!" Hermione shouted, rising from her chair. "If it wasn't for all the secrets Dumbledore kept—"

"Dumbledore kept secrets, and for good reason," Shacklebolt interrupted. "They kept people safe."

"Did they keep my parents safe? Did they keep Cho safe?"

"Hermione dear, calm down," Mrs Granger pleaded. "We're here and safe."

"No thanks to the former Headmaster," Mr. Granger breathed, earning him a glare from his wife.

Harry stood up, extending his hand. "Hermione, let's take a walk."

Hermione would have nothing of his attempts to calm her. She shoved his open hand away.

"I don't need to be comforted. Dumbledore forced us to make choices and now we have to live with them. The battle at the Ministry would have never happened if he had chosen to be honest and forthcoming."

"Unfortunately, I agree with Hermione," Professor McGonagall said, drawing some looks of shock. "If Dumbledore had trusted Harry, this would never have happened."

"I also agree with Hermione," Sirius added. "Dumbledore may have done things with good intentions, but his judgment was highly impaired. He kept Snape in closest confidence while he pushed Harry away from the Wizarding world and kept me locked up in Azkaban for thirteen years. Then, after the return of Voldemort," Harry raised an eyebrow at the number of Order members that cringed "he chose to continue to keep all of us in the dark as to what was going on."

"I also agree vith Hermony," echoed a voice behind Harry that made him smirk. "Forgive me, Lord Black, for being so late. There vere things that I needed to tend to."

"No apologies necessary, Viktor," Sirius greeted. "I'm glad to see that you could make it."

Viktor nodded in Sirius' direction. "May I speak freely?"

"Please do."

"Thank you, Lord Black. Vhen I found out vhat the Hogvarts Headmaster had done, I vas appalled. Vhere I am from, ve have vitnessed such acts in the past before for the 'Greater Good'. As for Harry's plan, it vas a great plan. Choose whom you vill, I vill follow Harry Potter."

Harry was shocked to see Viktor there, let alone hear his vow of loyalty. He had secretly wondered from the moment that Viktor was included in the plans whether jealousy over Hermione might come into play. Sirius motioned for him and Hermione to sit back down. Viktor joined them at the table, taking a seat next to Neville.

"This isn't Quidditch, boy," Moody spat, staring at Viktor with both eyes. "You two may be great with a Snitch, but Potter is not an experienced leader. We need a veteran to take on Voldemort."

"Like yourself and Dumbledore?" Bill retorted.

"I don't believe that age has anything to do with being a leader, Alastor," Arthur interjected. "The greatest Wizards in history were mere teenagers when they rose to greatness."

Harry's eyebrows shot clear into his hairline. How could anyone compare him to the great Wizards in history? 'This Boy-Who-Lived stuff has gone way too far', thought Harry.

Lupin spied Harry's facial expressions. "Easy, Harry. No one is trying to thrust the mantle of Merlin on your shoulders. However, Arthur makes a good point. Age has nothing to do with it. Experience is the greatest teacher and you have it in spades."

Mrs. Longbottom slammed her goblet down on the table. "If I may, I would like to make it perfectly clear that my son and daughter's demise had nothing to do with Mr. Potter. That blame rests solely on the shoulders of the Death Eaters that murdered them."

"Well said, Aug. Now, it would be best if the Order and the Alliance can work together. You can bet that Voldemort and his followers will be ramping up their efforts now that the world is aware of his return."

The Order members all nodded in agreement with Sirius, even Moody.

"So how do we choose a leader?" Dedalus Diggle asked, sitting up fully in his seat so that he could be seen. "Does the Order choose its own leader and allow Mr. Potter to remain the Alliance leader, or do we all vote for one person to lead us all?"

"I think we need to let the Order choose their own leader. I for one, won't follow anyone save Harry. I dare say that the rest of the Alliance feels the same way."

"That won't work, Neville," Angelina interjected. "We need to be united against Voldemort."

"We're a large enough group. Why not elect two leaders—or generals if you will. Let them coordinate efforts between the two groups."

Sirius leaned forward. "I think that's a good idea, Lee. We need to have absolute trust in those we follow. Harry has already achieved the trust of the Alliance. The Order of the Phoenix needs to trust their leader completely as well."

Harry thought of how Dumbledore had named his resistance against Voldemort after his pet, Fawkes the Phoenix. As if on command, Fawkes appeared in the room, landing on the back of Harry's chair. The table fell silent, staring at Harry in awe. Harry reached up and stroked the bird's magnificent head.

"The bird doesn't get a vote," Moody sniffed, taking another swig of fire whiskey.

"Let's get on with the vote."

"You don't have a vote, Bill," Moody growled. "If I recall, you, your father, Sirius and Minerva all sided with Potter's Alliance."

Stugis Podmore, a wiry looking wizard with straw colored hair, gasped. "Alastor! They're still members of the Order."

"I agree with Stugis," Hestia Jones, a dark-haired witch with a kind but battle-hardened face added.

The other Order members, except for Moody, nodded in agreement.

"Very well," Moody growled. "We'll do this vote using the Clancularius Charm."

"It's like a secret ballot, Harry," Hermione explained automatically, answering Harry's confused expression.

"Correct, Ms. Granger," Moody growled, staring at her with his magical eye.

He placed an empty bowl in the middle of the table, filling it with liquid from a vial he withdrew from his coat pocket.

Moody's magical eye darted from face to face. "Now, all Order members touch the bowl with the tip of your wand at the exact same time and say, 'Clancularius'."

All the Order members withdrew their wands and touched the tip to the bowl. Sirius hesitated before withdrawing his wand and joining the group. Harry knew that his godfather felt betrayed by Dumbledore and resented the Order because of its founder.

Moody counted to three and the Order members recited the spell in unison. Immediately, the liquid within the bowl caught fire. In a matter of seconds, the fire consumed the liquid, leaving a name burned into the bottom of the bowl—Minerva McGonagall.

"Congratulations, Minerva. You're the new leader of the Order."

"Merely a formality, Alastor," Professor McGonagall said dismissively. "The Order will continue to be a unified group, sharing the same goal as the Alliance—the downfall of Lord Voldemort."

Moody nodded, but Harry wasn't sure that he agreed. It was obvious that Moody believed that he should have been chosen as the new leader, however the Order had thought differently. His thoughts were verified by Professor McGonagall directly addressing Moody and dismissing the importance of her new role.

"Well, now that the leaders are agreed upon we can get to the meeting. I request that the first order of business for the night be that we decide what to do about my brother Charlie and Tonks."

"You said that your brother showed signs of working with goblins, correct?" Sirius asked, driving forward the discussion.

"That is correct, Sirius. While working with the goblins of Gringotts, I have witnessed different forms of their magic. Charlie used an old form of host magic that allows one to communicate with others through animals. In this case, a raven; ravens are known to be commonly used to this day by goblins for such tasks."

"Do you think that the goblins of Gringotts might be involved?" Shacklebolt asked. "And if so, what would be their motive?"

"The goblins of Gringotts would not support Charlie and Tonks' crusade. They stand too much to lose by involvement. They will retain their power over the bank, regardless of who runs the Wizarding world. Only once they have felt oppression will they revolt."

"Any ideas, Bill, as to who might be helping Charlie?" Cassie asked.

"I asked Director Ragnok, of Gringotts, and the only goblin or goblins that he knew that would have the resources for such a campaign was Belnork."

Harry intently followed the conversation. "Who's Belnork?"

Moody took another swig from his goblet. "He was an ally during the first Wizarding War with Voldemort. He provided Dumbledore with foreign intelligence and helped to slow Death Eater advances—financially."

"Unfortunately," Lupin sighed, scratching his chin "he's also an illegal trader. He and his goblin cohorts control all black-market trade, including Knockturn Alley. He'd sell his own offspring for the right price; thus, he cannot be trusted."

"How does a goblin control wizard run storefronts, like what's found in Knockturn Alley?" Neville asked, frowning hard.

"Simple really," Mrs. Longbottom replied. "Every witch and wizard in Knockturn Alley owes Belnork for something or they purchase goods from him for their stores. He also used to be the Director of Gringotts before Director Ragnok took over in the early 1970's." Neville stared at his Gran in awe at her knowledge.

Hermione was now chewing her lower lip. "How would Charlie have gotten involved with this Belnork?"

"Dragons," Mundungus grunted, sipping some fire whiskey. "Ol' Belnork's people are always looking for a way to move more dragon parts. A dead dragon is worth a fortune in the market."

Arthur slammed the table with his fist. "Dung, are you accusing my boy of illegally selling off dragons to the black market?"

"No!" Mundungus replied, his eyes wide. "I'm just sayin' that Belnork has a lot of people workin' for him! It's easily seen how he could have contacted your son. Maybe he convinced him that the best way to save his family is to go to work for him, stoppin' ol' snake face."

"Now that's established, what do we do about Charlie?" Bill asked, trying to hide his frustration. "He's requested a meeting with Harry."

"Let's do it then." Harry had been thinking about it ever since Bill had told him. "Let's hear him out and see what he has to say."

"If you do, Harry, make no deals with him," Moody warned. "If he is working for Belnork, then we cannot take such risks."

Professor McGonagall nodded. "I agree. Belnork cannot be trusted. I would suggest—"

What Professor McGonagall was about to suggest was never heard. For at that exact moment, Kreacher Apparated onto the center of the table; collapsing as he did so.

"Kreacher!" Sirius and Harry shouted in unison.

The whole of the table stood as one, withdrawing their wands and looking around quickly for danger. Mr Granger placed a protective arm around his wife.

"Dobby!" Harry shouted, his voice cracking slightly.

CRACK!

"Master Harry summons Dobby?" the tiny elf asked before catching sight of Kreacher's collapsed form. "Kreacher!" Dobby hopped up onto the table and knocked over several goblets. "Master Harry, Kreacher is hurt bad!"

"Dobby, where was Kreacher?"

"Kreacher had gone back to Grimmauld Place to fetch some more copper kettles for the morning, Master Sirius."

Fawkes flew over Harry's head and landed next to the fallen house-elf. The bird gently nudged Kreacher over onto his back to reveal a deep slash across the chest. The toga emblazoned with the Black Family crest was now soaked with blood. Fawkes leaned his head over the wound and Harry saw tears drop onto Kreacher's chest. Puffs of smoke could be seen, the tears healing the wound right before their eyes.

Kreacher let out a sigh. "Bad wizards in Master's home."

The old house-elf did not open his eyes. He lay there, simply breathing. Venom poured through Harry at the thought of Snape or Bellatrix leading a party of Death Eaters into Grimmauld Place. His face contorted with rage and he could see his feelings being mirrored on the faces of those around him.

"How is this possible?" Hermione asked. "Sirius, didn't you break the Fidelius Charm and re-enact it once the Order vacated Grimmauld Place?"

"I did. Which means that we have a much larger problem if Voldemort's forces can penetrate Fidelius Charms."

"What's our move?" Ron asked, looking at Harry and Hermione.

Harry's rage gave him a strange sense of clarity. "Charging into Grimmauld Place is unwise. They could be lying in wait for us. We need approach with caution."

"I agree with Harry," Professor McGonagall said. "They probably allowed the house-elf to escape so that we would be alerted and make a mistake. Sirius, is there any way to see or hear into Grimmauld Place?"

"Maybe." Sirius turned his gaze to the Weasley twins. "Is the kitchen still under surveillance?"

"Bloody hell," the twins breathed in unison. "How?"

"The Black Family home? Kreacher found it right after term started."

Fred shook his head. "No good."

"In our trunks," George added.

"At the Burrow," the twins finished in unison.

Professor McGonagall glanced at the twins. "Small scouting team it is then. Moody, Sirius and I will floo to Grimmauld Place. We'll send word via the fake galleons if we need assistance."

"Remember to exit the grate firing," Moody instructed. "Step quickly to the left or right lest we curse each other."

Harry wiped his face with his hands. "I don't like this. If Grimmauld Place has been compromised, how do we know that any of our 'safe houses' are indeed safe?"

"We don't," Lupin replied, rubbing his hands together. "However, I doubt that even Voldemort has magic dark enough to shatter a Fidelius Charm. No, something else is wrong here. Sirius, are you still the Secret Keeper for Grimmauld Place?"

"I am," Cassie said, stepping forward. "Sirius decided that it was too risky having himself as the Secret Keeper for both Grimmauld Place and for here. If he died, it would leave both places vulnerable. He transferred the responsibility to me this morning."

"Are you sure that you performed the spell correctly, Sirius? If you misspoke the spell it could make everyone that knows of Grimmauld Place a Secret Keeper."

"We did it correctly, Aug. I'm sure."

"Can we discuss who made the mistake later?" Moody growled. "By now all the good Death Eaters will be gone and only the expendables will be left."

 **~~~Darkness Rising~~~**

Harry paced in the foyer as they waited for Moody, McGonagall and Sirius to return. Cassie was doing the exact same thing on the opposite side of the fountain. They had only been gone ten minutes, but it felt like an eternity had passed. Hermione wasn't trying to calm him down either. Instead, she was pacing with him; vigorously attempting to work out how the Death Eaters had entered Grimmauld Place.

Dobby had taken Kreacher to rest in one of the upstairs bedrooms. Dobby fetched Winky from Hogwarts to assist in tending to Black Palace while he watched over Kreacher. The old house-elf had lost a lot of blood, but he would recover given enough time.

"Damn," Harry hissed, stopping abruptly.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, instantly pulling herself from her own musings.

"My invisibility cloak. I don't have it with me. What if they searched our trunks?"

"I have your invisibility cloak, remember? You gave it to me to hold on to before we went to the Ministry."

"Your purse," Harry breathed. "Excellent. I completely forgot."

At that moment the fireplace glowed green and Moody, Sirius and McGonagall stepped out into the foyer of Black Palace.

"Not a Death Eater to be found," Moody growled, sounding disappointed to the gathering crowd of Order and Alliance members.

Hermione frowned, "What happened to Kreacher then?"

"Oh, Death Eaters had most definitely been there. They left a message for us."

Harry did not like the ominous tone in which Sirius answered. "What kind of message?"

Professor McGonagall swallowed. "They placed the Dark Mark above Grimmauld Place."

"Wait … they only do that when they murder someone, right?" Neville asked, entering the foyer, Mrs. Longbottom right behind him. "Do they think that they killed Kreacher?"

"They don't value house-elves, boy," Moody snarled. "They only attacked the aged creature to keep him from alerting us, probably scattered when they weren't able to stop him from Apparating."

Harry pondered what had happened at the Quidditch World Cup. "Then why did they conjure the Dark Mark? Were they just trying to scare us?"

"No, Harry," Sirius replied, looking down. "They did murder someone. They left the body of a Muggle girl in the kitchen. They wrote on the wall, 'No Place to Hide' in the poor girl's blood."

"We suspect that she was a Muggle that just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time," Professor McGonagall added.

"Did she have any Muggle identification on her?"

"That she did, Aug. Her Muggle driver's license identifies her as Rose Dupree. We don't—Hermione?"

Hermione collapsed to her knees beside Harry, covering her face with her hands. Harry immediately dropped down to one knee beside her.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" Harry placed an arm around her back, the pit of his stomach squeezing tight as Hermione began to sob.

"M-My cou-sin! Th-That's m-my cousin's n-name! I-I haven't s-seen her in y-years!"

"Maybe it's another Rose Dupree."

Hermione dropped her hands and shot Harry a 'don't patronize me' look that made him swallow hard.

"Hermione dear? What's wrong?" Mrs. Granger shouted, as she and Mr. Granger came rushing down the stairs at the sight of their daughter on her knees crying.

"It's Rose!" Hermione sobbed, as her parents parted the group of Alliance and Order members to reach her.

Harry made to give space, but the firm hand of Mr. Granger on his back told him to stay where he was.

"Your cousin Rose? What's wrong with …"

Mrs. Granger's voice trailed off as she looked from Sirius to Professor McGonagall to Harry.

"Where?" Mr. Granger asked, staring at Sirius and looking murderous.

Harry could see the rage burning in his godfather's eyes. "A young girl's body with a Muggle driver's license identifying her as Rose Dupree is laying in Grimmauld Place."

"Take me there. If it is my niece, I can identify her."

"It's not a pretty sight," Moody warned.

"I've seen some awful things in my time, sir." Mr. Granger's face contorted with disgust. "I'll be able to take it."

"Whenever you're ready, Eugene."

"I'm going with you two. Some damn Death Eater may have come back or something. Besides, I want to start testing to see what wards are still in place."

Mr. Granger kissed his wife goodbye and moments later the three of them had flooed away, back to Grimmauld Place. Cassie recommended that the group adjourn to the large sitting room off to the right of the foyer. The sitting room was larger than the Gryffindor common room, with a ceiling that domed at least twenty feet high. Harry walked with Hermione and sat her down in one of the three lush couches in the room. Harry stood beside Hermione while her mother sat next to her.

"If the Death Eaters vant var, then let us give it to them!"

Professor McGonagall took a seat in a lush arm chair. "Easy, Mr. Krum. As awful as this is, we cannot go running off looking for Death Eaters to kill. We must work in secret lest we place ourselves at odds with the Ministry."

"That's fine," Ron said savagely, leaning against the back of one of the couches. "We'll kill Death Eaters in secret. Works for me."

"Mr. Weasley, if we go about murdering those we suspect to be Death Eaters, what makes us different from them?"

Rage burned in Harry's chest. "What about those we do know to be Death Eaters, Professor? What damage is there to be done by thinning the heard of murderers we know about?"

"Harry, dealing a fatal blow in battle is one thing," Lupin warned, sitting in one of the four cushioned arm chairs that lined the corners of the room "but you're talking of hunting them down and murdering them in cold blood."

"You think that when confronted they will come quietly?" Hermione retorted coldly, her cheeks streaked and stained with tears. "They won't be defenseless like the Muggle girl and my parents that they tortured at Malfoy Manor or my cousin that they just murdered in cold blood!"

"We don't know yet—"

"We know, mum. We know because that is what animals like these Death Eaters do."

"Where would it all end if we started this hunt?" Shacklebolt interjected. "Dumbledore always had a plan and a goal."

Fred snorted, "And where did that get him?"

"Dead in a grand white tomb at Hogwarts," George replied.

"No thanks," the twins groaned in unison.

"The hunt vould end vith the death of every known Death Eater. Hermony is right. It is the only thing these animals understand."

"This may be the fire whiskey talking," Diggle piped "but I agree with Harry. If they have found a way to bypass our protective wards, do we just wait until they come to murder us in our sleep? No, I say that for once we take the fight to them."

"I think you're all bloody mad," Mundungus grunted, examining the fine china in a nearby case. "I for one, have no intentions of—"

"Mundungus, I do not have the stomach to listen to your cowardly excuses. We all know that the only reason that you signed up for the Order was to pay back a debt to Dumbledore."

"The only reason I'm still here, Arthur, is because I want to help! But if you no longer need me, I'll just—"

Professor McGonagall rose to her feet. "Let's all just settle down. Emotions are running extremely high and rightfully so, but we must not rush into anything. As much as I agree that we can no longer wait for Voldemort's forces to come for us, I think we need to wait until Sirius, Alastor and Mr. Granger return from Grimmauld Place. Then we can formulate a plan to counter attack."

"No need to wait any longer," Sirius said, walking into the sitting room with Mr. Granger and Mad-Eye Moody.

Mr. Granger made his way over to Hermione and her mum without wasting a moment. He dropped down to one knee to look them in the eyes and that was all it took. Both Granger women broke down immediately, Hermione gripping Harry's arm like an anchor. He could feel her emotions pouring out as his wand grew warm inside his robes; the strange connection still ever present. He felt no surprise when the most dominant feeling was cold anger.

"What did you find out?" Professor McGonagall asked quietly, trying to respect the Grangers.

"We were exposed to one weakness." Moody growled, unstopping a bottle of fire whiskey. "The Portus charm has been used several times at Grimmauld Place."

Harry noticed that Moody's magical eye was transfixed on him. Harry frowned, wondering what was going through the old Auror's mind.

"Impossible. The Portus charm can only create a portkey with a known destination. That is to say, the creator has to know the exact location of his or her intended target."

Moody huffed, "Correct, Remus. Snape could have very easily created a portkey before the Order left Grimmauld Place."

"I thought Sirius had all of the old protection spells removed and replaced them with his own protective wards?"

"I did, Bill, but I did not put in place any anti-portus wards. I, myself, was using a portkey to travel from Grimmauld Place to a remote private cottage."

Harry knew that Sirius was being cryptic in front of the Order members that were not aware of the McGonagall family cottage.

"Anti-portus wards are now in place … though a bit too late."

"What was the purpose of this … this demonstration?" Harry roared, his anger getting the best of him.

"Fear, Potter," Moody retorted. "Plain and simple."

"Maybe the Grangers would like to retire upstairs," Sirius offered, trying to be courteous of their feelings.

"I'm not going anywhere!" Hermione growled, her sobs expiring and growing very still against Harry's arm.

"We would like to hear your thoughts, Sirius," Mr. Granger said, his tone even and strong.

"Very well, Eugene. I believe that this wasn't just a message to all of us, but to Harry and Hermione specifically. We were able to rescue you and Danielle, so they're trying to prove that we can't save everyone. I believe that they're trying to prod us onto the offensive and lure us out. If I'm correct, this is a very different game than Voldemort played the last time."

Shacklebolt shook his head. "Why would he change his strategy now? Dumbledore is dead."

Moody stumped across the floor. "Exactly. With Dumbledore dead, he thinks we're vulnerable—and I agree."

Harry could feel his magic ripple over him. "Dumbledore may have been a great wizard, but he wasn't the only hope of stopping Voldemort and his Death Eaters."

"Course not," Moody growled sarcastically. "We have the Chosen One to lead us to victory."

The tension in the room suddenly became so thick that you could have cut it with a knife.

Harry clinched his fists. "I'm not the Chosen One!"

At that exact same moment, five vases on the fireplace mantle shattered in unison.

"Harry!" Sirius shouted. "Calm down now!"

"Bloody hell!" Mundungus shouted, jumping back. "Did Potter just do that?"

Harry glanced about the room to see that all eyes were upon him. The Alliance was watching their leader for his reaction while most of the Order looked at him in shock.

"It was just a bit of accidental wandless magic, Dung. Nothing uncommon, especially with tensions so high."

Moody was eying the Alliance members with his magical eye and Harry knew that he wasn't buying Sirius' accidental magic explanation, nor was the rest of the Order.

"It's been a long night. We need to tend to the matter of Mr. and Mrs. Granger's niece as well as—"

"Tend to the matter?"

"Forgive me, Mr. Granger, for sounding cold," Professor McGonagall apologized. "It's just that we'll need to contact the Ministry so that they can handle the Muggle authorities."

"I guess that we're going to have to act as though we know nothing."

"I'm afraid so. You are in hiding, after all."

Mrs. Granger sobbed. "It's not bad enough that we have to place our lives on hold, but now we cannot even pay our last respects to my niece!"

"Cruelty has always been what Voldemort does best. Please allow me to say that I feel for your loss. We all have suffered at the hands of this monster, and it seems that his tactics are becoming far more savage."

"That's why we have to act," Harry stared at Shacklebolt who nodded, his face growing hard. "Now that he is no longer hiding in the shadows, he will probably look to cause real havoc. If fear is his strategy, this is only the beginning."

"Will he attack the rest of our family?" Mrs. Granger asked, looking extremely worried. Her eyes darted from Harry to her husband.

"He won't be interested in murdering more Muggles. He needs the Ministry out of his way before he can move to mass terror."

"Vhat makes you so sure, Mr. Lupin, that he vill not seek out the rest of Hermony's family?"

"Sirius is right," Mr. Granger said, his voice cracking. "He's trying to lure us out. We need to be wise about this."

"We?"

"I may not have magic, Mr. Moody, but I can understand military strategy. This Voldemort has declared war on your world and on my family. While I cannot fight against magic, I'll do whatever I can to help."

"Do you have any other family in Britain?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Only my wife's sister and brother-in-law. All of my family lives in France."

"The Order will place protective wards over them immediately. Mundungus will keep a close watch on them."

"Me? Why me?"

"You said yourself that you wanted nothing to do with fighting," Professor McGonagall retorted, her tone clipped. "Well, here's your chance to be useful."

"Fine."

"Eugene, did your niece live with her parents?"

Mr Granger simply nodded.

"Come along with me, Dung. We'll go place the wards up on their home and you can keep a close eye on them. Remember, constant vigilance."

Mundungus grumbled something inaudible as he disappeared with Moody. Harry noted that Hermione had remained rigid and still, though her grip upon his arm had not slackened.

Harry looked at Professor McGonagall. "I say that we begin coming up with a plan to isolate and take down by any means necessary all Death Eaters. Let's make these bastards regret the side they chose."

"I agree, Mr Potter. We need to make sure that we avoid exposure to Death Eaters and Ministry Aurors alike. Madam Bones will not be forgiving if we are caught taking the fight into our own hands again."

"Remember Harry," Ron stressed, "Ginny is probably under the Imperious Curse. We need to make sure if they're wearing masks that it's not her."

"Of course. Ginny is like family to me and us." Harry pointed to members of the Alliance. "They could also be blackmailing her as well to do their bidding."

"Ginny is like family to us as well, Ron," Shacklebolt added, the rest of the Order nodding in agreement.

Harry pressed on, the moment giving him a strange internal strength. "Bill, arrange for a meeting with Charlie. Let's get this over with as fast as possible. We need to know who our allies are."

Bill nodded in agreement.

"Kingsley, please go inform the Ministry of what has happened. When you are done, please return immediately," Professor McGonagall instructed.

Kingsley Shacklebolt nodded before rising from his chair and leaving the room for the fireplace beyond.

Harry pulled away from Hermione for the first time and turned to face the room at large. "Okay then, how do we go about spreading some pain to Voldemort?"

The Order and the Alliance began sharing ideas on how to deal with the Death Eaters and the Aurors. Mr. and Mrs. Granger retired upstairs to one of the many bedrooms. Mr. Granger wanted to stay with Hermione and help formulate a plan, however Mrs. Granger needed him more. It was the wee morning hours before the meeting adjourned, a somewhat solid plan agreed upon.

Harry felt tired and weary upon reaching the room he deemed his for the night. The day felt like it had been a nightmare, the details of which were starting to blur. He did not even care to call for Dobby to bring him some pajamas. He knew that the tiny elf was probably tending to Kreacher still or sleeping. Either way, Harry was content to sleep in his clothes; though he did not know whether to expect a visit from Hermione. She was simply walking through the motions as he helped her to her room, adjacent to her parents' room. The day had left her a total shell of her normal self. She was very active in the planning portion of the meeting, though he knew that she was functioning on sheer adrenaline.

The last thing Harry remembered before succumbing to sleep was someone with bushy hair climbing into bed with him, pulling him close to her.

* * *

"They didn't choose me to be the leader of the Order," Moody said, taking a sip of fire whiskey while sitting at a small table in an ocean cottage.

"Whom did they choose?"

"Minerva McGonagall."

"Logical choice. Probably does not sit well with most to have someone with your 'vigilance' as the leader."

"They're going to take the fight to Voldemort. Potter is flexing his wandless magical muscles and that pigeon gives him clout. Granger's cousin's death did not help the situation any."

"Fawkes has chosen a strong wizard as his familiar. If Lord Voldemort wants a fight, Harry will not slouch from it. You must keep him safe."

"It's going to be all out war before it's over. You still think that it was a good idea to fake your death?"

Albus Dumbledore chuckled. "Absolutely. As an old friend once told me, it's much easier to drive from the back seat than it is to steer."

"Another of your bloody Muggle references," Moody snorted. "Granger is still leaving your 'murder' a mystery—even to Potter, I believe."

"As she should. Would do no good for her to tell him or anyone else."

Moody drained his glass. "Have any plans for a resurrection?"

"Not unless I absolutely have to. I can assume then that my funeral went smoothly?"

"As silk. No one even attempted to inspect your corpse. By now I'm sure that the Polyjuice potion has worn off, so hopefully none of your desperate admirers decide to visit and open the tomb."

"Whom did you pick to be my corpse?"

"Some Muggle homeless man."

"Sad as it may be, alas all for the 'Greater Good'" Dumbledore sighed, toasting one of his old friends.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed the first chapter of The Darkness Rising! I know that the ending of this chapter will draw mixed feelings from many, but please understand that this was part of my plot from the very beginning. How Dumbledore went into hiding was the only question I had until I started writing the final three chapters of The Falling.**

 **I would like to give special thanks to Woahitsalice for being beta. She did, as always, a wonderful job. Please review and let me know what you think. Your reviews are the best part of writing FF!**

 **UPDATED: 4/9/2018**


	2. Life Lessons

**The Falling  
Darkness Rising**

 **Chapter Two: Life Lessons**

Harry awoke to the familiar fragrance of Hermione's favorite shampoo, Lavender Rain. She was pulled tight to him as though she might fall if she let go. He both enjoyed and was troubled by this now common feeling. It was wonderful to think that you meant that much to someone and it was troubling to think that someone that he had always looked to for support was now so insecure.

Harry gently eased away from Hermione; allowing his pillow to take his place. He stretched as he got up and looked out his bedroom window of Black Palace to see that another beautiful fall day was coming to life in the Scottish Highlands. He looked back down at Hermione and wondered what it was that was making his 'rock' so unsteady. He knew that the loss of her cousin was devastating, but this change in behavior had manifested itself before her cousin's death. _'Could she possibly be this shaken by Dumbledore's death?'_ , Harry pondered.

It had been two weeks since they had discovered the lifeless body of Hermione's cousin at Grimmauld Place with that disgusting message written in blood. That night they had vowed to make the Death Eaters pay. The trouble was that since that night, not one Death Eater had showed his or her face in public. Many within the Order and the Alliance, including Harry, had expected Voldemort to go on a destructive rampage across all of Britain, now that Dumbledore was no longer a threat. Instead, Voldemort had decided to allow his witches and wizards of influence to attempt to persuade the Ministry into believing that he wasn't that much of a danger to the Wizarding world. It was a very political move, and it seemed to be working.

Madam Bones was receiving strong push back from the Wizengamot to soften her stance on Voldemort. They were under the persuasion that there were much more critical issues to focus on, like legislation banning the sale of all objects and books that fell into the gray area between light and dark magic. The Wizengamot lobbied that the removal of such objects would prevent the rise of future Dark Wizards. She had argued that this was a futile effort as Lord Voldemort was an old Dark Wizard that had returned, not a new creation due to weak restrictions.

Harry saw this as proof of total corruption within the Ministry of Magic. Sirius pointed out that similar legislation had been attempted many years ago, but was overruled due to the fact that defensive spell books and objects could also be classified as gray. Mad-Eye had sighted that it was probably a way to weaken the whole of Magical Britain, thus creating a defenseless class of citizens.

Harry quietly got dressed, so not to wake Hermione, then slipped downstairs to the kitchen to find Cassie and Sirius sitting at the kitchen table. As with every other room, the Black Palace kitchen was twice the size of the kitchen at Grimmauld Place. Large copper kettles hung high above the table, magically suspended in mid-air, while many golden candle fixtures lined the walls providing an iridescent glow to the room.

"Come to me, oh nectar of the gods." Sirius cooed as Cassie handed him a fresh cup of coffee.

"Go a little easier on the fire whiskey at night and you might not need to drink a cauldron's worth of coffee every morning." Cassie sniffed as she gave Sirius a sideways glance.

Sirius grumbled, "You drink your morning tea while I down the house's supply of coffee and we'll both feel better."

Harry didn't want to disturb Cassie and his godfather, but before he could slip back out Cassie had already caught sight of him.

"Morning, Harry," Cassie said, smiling as she sat down at the table, sipping her cup of tea.

Harry stood in the doorway, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry. I didn't know anyone was up."

"No worries, lad," Sirius said, grinning a little too broadly. "You're not disturbing anyone. We were just up early to see the Grangers off. They have some business they need to tend to and Lupin was more than happy to escort them with Kingsley."

"If by happy you mean that Lupin wasn't growling, then yeah," Cassie interjected.

"Oh," Harry muttered. "I wasn't aware that they were leaving."

Sirius smirked at Harry over his cup. "Neither was Hermione. They stopped by her room to say bye, but found the door enchanted shut."

"Oh, um, well she hasn't been sleeping well since Dumbledore's death and—" Harry stumbled over his words.

"Listen, I think that the Grangers would agree with me that as long as we're not grandparents for a long, long time—"

Harry's eyes went wide when he realized where the conversation had headed. He felt faint at the thought of Mr. Granger suspecting him of having a physical relationship with Hermione. Wizard or not, he didn't fancy having to defend himself from Mr. Granger's wrath.

"Sirius!" Cassie snapped, interrupting Sirius' words of wisdom. "I'm sure that Harry and Hermione are quite responsible. I think it's also only fair to point out that only _we_ suspect them of being intimate before Harry has a bloody heart attack."

Harry found himself leaning against the kitchen table, though he could not remember crossing the floor to it. Why he had not noticed was clear. Images of having to stun Mr. Granger in order to prevent him from trying to snap his neck like a twig had been racing through his mind as they spoke, rendering him completely distracted.

"Coffee, lad?" Sirius asked, pointing to the pot on the stove and attempting to look innocent.

Harry squinted at his godfather. "No thanks—Snuffles."

"Snuffles?"

"An affectionate name Harry, Ron and Hermione gave my dog form last year so that they could reference me in public."

"Cute," Cassie smirked before returning her attention to Harry. "Now Harry, for reasons beyond Snuffles trying to embarrass you, we're glad that you're up so early."

Something between a scowl and a frown crossed Harry's face. "Really? Why?"

Sirius stood up, sat his coffee cup down and straightened his robes before doing his best Lucius Malfoy impersonation. He swept around the kitchen table, placing his hand on Harry's shoulder, causing Cassie to roll her eyes.

"Cassie and I, being your future Professors, believe that you need to learn how to better control your wandless magic before you return to Hogwarts," Sirius quipped in his most regal tone. "Seeing that Lord Faceless and his foolish followers have gone underground—this presents us with the optimum opportunity."

Harry grinned for what felt like the first time in a long while. "You two have decided to accept Professor McGonagall's offer?"

"I will be taking my aunt's place as your Transfiguration Professor, while Sirius will be your new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor." She could only shake her head at the thought. "Now, about your wandless magic. You have a very unique talent. While many can perform wandless magic—I have never heard of one your age being so strong."

"Hermione thinks that my wandless magic may be so strong because of how I received my scar."

Sirius studied Harry's face. "I'd love to hear Hermione's theory later, as I may have a similar theory. For now, we need to discuss how you're able to do what you do."

"Well, I imagine catching or throwing the object with my hand, then I concentrate." Harry had given it considerable thought over the past few months. "I can also produce a shield barrier."

"Do you already know the summoning and repellent spells?"

"Yeah, I learned them last year while preparing for that bloody tournament."

"Okay, then that makes sense." Cassie looked to Sirius who nodded in agreement.

"What does?"

Sirius withdrew his wand, twirling it in between his fingers. "Harry, you're probably reciting the spells subconsciously even if you're not aware of it. Really good duelers do this a lot while using a wand. It's a form of non-verbal casting."

"Does this mean that I might be able to perform other spells?"

"It might be possible for you to perform some transfiguration spells and jinxes in addition to what you can already do, but I doubt that you'll be able to do any hexes or curses."

"So, lad, are you ready to do some testing?" Sirius smirked as though he knew the response.

"Why not," Harry replied, earning a slap of approval from his godfather.

Harry followed Sirius and Cassie into a large room. Sirius explained that the room had been designed for Muggle fencing and for Wizard dueling. "The boys", as Cassie addressed them, would square off while she helped coach Harry.

They started off slow, testing the differences in how Harry had been performing wandless magic up to now and what he could do when he focused on the actual spells. The difference was undeniable. Harry's summoning, repellent, and shield charms were ten times more powerful when he focused on the casting and not the effect. He also found that he was capable of producing a wandless stunner. This amazed Cassie and delighted Sirius—despite being thrown into the far wall by Harry's Stupify.

Next, they tried other spells. To everyone's surprise, the full body bind worked on the first try while Expelliarmus did little more than, "wiggle Sirius' wand", a comment that Cassie soon regretted.

"If you two are finished acting like children, then we need to talk." Cassie said in her best impersonation of her aunt.

Harry and Sirius snorted as they attempted to sober up.

"Just a bit of tension released, love. Let's sit and talk."

"Now Harry," Cassie began, taking a seat "you realize by now that you and the Alliance will be forced to attend Hogwarts with the children of those that you just fought at Hogwarts and the Ministry."

"I'm quite aware. I'm also aware that murdering them on sight is against the rules. I've been dealing with Draco for many years and he's still breathing."

"Glad that you understand that, lad, but I don't think that was where Cassie was heading."

Cassie's face hardened. "Spies, Harry. Now, more than ever before. If it wasn't apparent before, it is now that you and your Alliance are a threat to Voldemort's plans. You've gone from nuisance to menace. Your every move will be watched heavily. Think of it as Umbridge times a hundred."

"Speaking of Umbitch … any word on her?"

"The Ministry hasn't been able to find her, nor has the Order. You really did a number on her, lad."

"I can't take any credit for that. Fred, George and Ron masterminded that—and I really don't think that they expected the result to be permanent."

"Either way, she has completely flipped her nut. With her on the loose, she's another issue that must be dealt with."

The three sat in silence for a moment, Harry feeling winded and hungry.

"For now," Sirius continued, changing the subject "I'd say that you've probably worked up a mighty hunger. Let's go see if Kreacher and Dobby are working us up some grub."

"Kreacher is up and about?"

"Been up for a couple of days now, but Dobby has refused to let him do anything. I heard Kreacher mutter something about putting Dobby on a stick last night, so I suggested to your young house-elf to let Kreacher help this morning."

Harry grunted at the sound of Sirius referring to Dobby as his house-elf. He was glad that Hermione wasn't around to hear, lest she blow up on the room at large.

Harry stretched, "I need to go check on Hermione."

"You need to eat," Cassie retorted. "I will check on Hermione."

The expression on Cassie's face looked so much like her aunt that Harry did not dare argue.

 **~~~Darkness Rising~~~**

Hermione looked around at the vast grassy field as the wind ripped through her robes. She spun slowly in a circle, as though she was searching for something, though what it was she wasn't certain. Clouds gathered overhead, and mountains encompassed the vast field that she was standing in. Slowly, Hermione realized that she was standing in some sort of valley.

Hermione began to walk towards the only break she saw in the mountainous region beyond; the wind now billowing all about her. The closer she got the more tired she felt, as though leaving the valley was draining her strength. She shielded her face against the wind with her robes, willing herself to press on as her bushy hair twisted about her head; marring her vision.

Suddenly, Hermione heard a creaking noise behind her. She spun on the spot, withdrawing her wand as she did, to find an iron gate and a long fence extending in both directions. The vast grassy field was gone, replaced by a shorter field beyond the iron fence; a dirt path leading away from the gate towards the mountains. The weather had also changed, as large snowflakes began to fall, and a northern wind nearly froze her where she stood. She wrapped her arms about herself in an attempt to stay warm; shivering violently.

A noise caught Hermione's attention and she turned around to see trees before her, leafless and baron. Beyond the trees there were rows and rows of grave stones; her footing faltered as she realized that she was standing in a graveyard. She slowly edged closer to the grave stones until she could read the names.

Hermione screamed before covering her mouth with her hands as she began to read the grave markers. Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan, Ginnevra Weasley, Ronald Weasley, Fred Weasley, George Weasley and Bill Weasley; the names and markers went on as far as she could see. She searched each headstone in horror, reading name after name of friends and people she knew, feeling the urge to vomit. The three names she was searching for weren't there. Harry and her parent's name weren't in the graveyard. They were still alive. She bit her lip as she tried to contemplate what had happened.

A cracking sound behind Hermione forced her from her thoughts and she spun to see what it was; hoping that it was Harry. What she saw wasn't Harry. The cold, red eyes of Lord Voldemort were staring directly at her; glowing unnaturally. She raised her wand but did not strike. Voldemort continued to stare at her, but he did not move.

"Enjoying your handiwork, Ms. Granger?"

"My handiwork?" Hermione repeated just above a whisper. Fear shot through her body.

"Oh yes, Ms. Granger," Voldemort hissed softly. "All that you see here is because of you. If you had never asked Harry to help you, they would all still be alive."

"You forced me! If they're dead … then it's because of you!"

"I never forced you to seek to murder Albus Dumbledore. You chose to do that all by yourself. You should have joined me, Ms. Granger. You and Harry Potter could have stood by my side and ruled the world together."

"Forgotten that I'm a mudblood?"

A sick smile curved his face. "Power can erase any past. One must just be willing to do what must be done."

"How could I possibly join _you_? What have you to offer me that could ever replace what I've lost?"

Hermione waved her free hand and gestured to the headstones.

Harry's voice ripped about her with the wind. "This can all be undone."

Hermione looked around desperately, but she could not see him anywhere. She took a step backwards. "Wait … this is just a dream?"

"No … not a dream, Ms. Granger. Our futures are set in stone. The only difference is whether you choose to join me. I would rather that you and Mr. Potter join me, but if that is not to be … I will still enjoy watching you kill Harry Potter."

"I will never kill Harry!"

"Oh, but you will! As surely as the sun will rise in the east, you will kill Harry Potter."

"Never!" Hermione screamed as she aimed her wand. " _Avada Kedavra!_ "

Green light burst from the end of her wand as the image of Voldemort morphed before her. Just as the jet of green light reached its intended target, Voldemort transformed into Harry. The green light struck him in the chest and his eyes widened as he fell to his knees before slumping to the ground in a lifeless heap.

Hermione's screams would have wakened Black Palace if it had not been for the silencing charms placed upon Harry's room. She found herself sitting up in the middle of Harry's bed, screaming as she stared up at the ceiling. Hedwig stared at her in shock from inside her cage, looking slightly offended. Out of nowhere, Crookshanks leaped into her lap and began to rub his large head against her chin while purring soothingly. She wasn't aware that he was even in the room. She devised, as she stroked his back with her hand, that the ginger cat had followed her into Harry's bedroom last night.

"It was just a bad dream," Hermione breathed, sweat pouring from her body and soaking her nightgown.

Crookshanks peered up at her with his big yellow eyes as to say, _'Who are you trying to convince?'_

Hermione knew that she was trying to convince herself, but it was no use. Ever since she had gone to St Mungo's Hospital and had murdered Dumbledore, she had changed. The guilt of what she had done and the burden of not telling Harry was becoming unbearable. The only thing keeping her from telling him was her fear of what he might think of her. It was one thing for Harry to accept that some unknown person had murdered the Great Git, but what would he do if he found out that it was her?

"Hermione?"

Hermione spun round to see Cassie standing in the doorway. Harry must have forgotten to seal the door after he left. She was mortified to have been found in Harry's room, but at the same time didn't care what anyone thought. Her mindset was more than a bit disturbing to her own self, though she couldn't understand how to change it.

"I came in here looking for Harry."

"It's okay. You don't need to defend yourself to me. I'm not judging."

Hermione dropped her head in defeat. "Is Harry already downstairs?"

"He is." Cassie edged into the room, closing the door behind her. "We were thinking about having some breakfast. Harry was going to come up and check on you, but I told him I'd come up instead."

"My mum and dad up already too?"

Cassie leaned over a little to catch Hermione's eyes. "They headed out this morning with Lupin and Kingsley to run some errands. They stopped by your room, but you had the door enchanted."

"Why were they heading out?"

"Some Muggle business and some family business as well, I believe. They're in good hands with Lupin and Kingsley."

Hermione did not answer, but simply nodded.

"Mind if I sit down?"

Hermione merely shrugged her shoulders in response.

"Hermione, you and Harry have been through a lot," Cassie sighed softly, sitting next to Hermione. "Soon you're going to have to face the same, if not more challenges. Believe it or not, I can understand what you're going through."

"I highly doubt that," Hermione scoffed, feeling a bitterness rising in her chest.

"I know what it's like to be in love with someone that refuses to lay low and stay safe. I chose to fight alongside Sirius and sometimes I hoped that if he was to die that I'd be killed with him." Hermione looked over at Cassie slightly feeling in awe. "I know what it's like to have to convince yourself that you're doing the right thing. I knew in my heart that one day Sirius would do something foolish and I wouldn't be able to stop him. I had imagined that he would sacrifice himself for someone else before my eyes." Cassie's eyes dropped to her knees. "I never imagined that it would be in the name of vengeance."

"Were you mad at him for what he did?"

"Mad? I hated the bloody bastard for being so stubborn and selfish. He put his grief above his love for me. I knew that he and James were like brothers, but it was the idea that I wasn't worth enough for him to stay. It infuriated me."

"How long did it take for you to forgive him?"

Cassie smiled. "All it took was seeing him again. Up until that moment, I hadn't forgiven him. I had felt betrayed and abandoned. Even though I fought relentlessly for years to get him a trial, I was still mad at him. I was even madder when he broke out of prison and didn't even attempt to see me. I became absolutely irrational when Dumbledore cleared his name and he still refused to find me."

"What did you do?"

"I came looking for him and found him in my grandfather's old cottage. I had come to hex him, but instead I ended up staying with him. The moment I saw him again I just could not stay angry. Love is the most powerful magic in the world."

"I'm afraid that I'm going to lose Harry and it will be all my fault!" Hermione cried into her hands, tears flowing down her face.

Before Hermione knew it, Cassie had wrapped her arms around her. It was the first time that she had broken down completely since she left St Mungo's hospital. She was scared what Harry would think if he knew what she had done. She was also tormented with the thought of him dying in battle, her dreams only making it worse.

"Hermione, I cannot guarantee that any of us will make it out of this bloody war alive. I can guarantee that if Harry was to run or to lay low, that bastard Voldemort would hunt him down and murder him. If we fight, we have a chance."

Hermione pulled her hands away from her face and looked Cassie in the eyes. She could see the fiery determination in the older woman's eyes and knew that together they would do everything they could to protect those that they loved.

Cassie smiled, "Let's get you cleaned up then we'll head down and check on the boys. Don't fancy leaving them alone together for too long. If Harry is anything like his father … let's just say that James and Sirius were not to be trusted to their own devices."

Hermione smirked and nodded. She needed a woman to talk to and unfortunately her mother just wasn't the woman she needed. She needed someone who not only understood war, but understood what it was like to be a witch.

 **~~~Darkness Rising~~~**

"Wonder what's taking them so long." Harry muttered as he glanced at the kitchen doorway while playing with a piece of sausage on his plate.

"Oh, Cassie is probably just telling Hermione stories about me and what she can expect from the sire of James Potter."

"Sire of James Potter?" Harry repeated, frowning at his godfather.

"For not knowing your father, you're remarkably like him lad," Sirius explained, grunting as he stretched. "Genetics are there even if you don't realize it. You're a mixture of both along with a level of grit that they never had. Probably from living with Petunia and that tub of lard she calls a husband."

Harry felt his mind go blank. He had not even thought of the Dursleys since he had resolved to going to live with Sirius. It was a feeling that he could not comprehend—he was concerned for the Dursleys.

Sirius stiffened at the look on Harry's face. "What's wrong lad?"

"How do blood wards work?" Harry asked, staring at his plate in concentration.

"Blood wards?"

"Yeah. Dumbledore said that the blood wards kept me, my aunt, uncle and cousin safe while I remained at the Dursleys. What happens now that I no longer live there?"

"Bloody hell, lad. The genetics definitely be there. Only your mum could ever care for someone that hated her like this."

"Please answer the question, Sirius."

"Without you there—those wards will be gone soon. Not sure if they were tied to you returning once every school year or if they were tied to Dumbledore's records of where you were being kept."

Harry looked at Sirius in confusion. "Records?"

"There has to be a magical contract if they weren't tied to your return," Sirius replied, scratching his chin. "My guess though is that the wards are tied to you returning. Less chance of someone other than Dumbledore and the Ministry finding out where you were being kept. Unless … they're tied to the Ministry's records."

"Which by now reflect that I am now in the custody of my godfather." Harry's mouth suddenly felt dry.

"Let's not jump to any conclusions, Harry. We can't just go running in. We could walk right into—"

"Into what?" Hermione interrupted, as she and Cassie entered the room.

"Hermione, the Dursleys … my aunt and cousin might be in danger."

"Blood wards." Hermione breathed.

Harry, as always, was amazed at how fast Hermione could catch on then surpass him. He could see her mind tearing through all the possibilities.

"Is there any way that the Order can tell if the wards are still in effect?" Hermione asked, turning her attention to Sirius.

"Dumbledore was the only one with access to the wards surrounding the Dursley home. He must have had some way to tell if they were broken or fallen. Probably one of those blasted toys in his office at Hogwarts. Of course, we would know the moment we approached the house, but at the same time we'll be close enough to be detected by any Death Eater that might be lying in wait … should there be a trap."

Harry removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Hermione, send a message to the Weasleys, the Longbottoms, Viktor, Angelina and Lee. We need them here at once. Cassie, send a message to your aunt. Tell her that we need her to investigate the Headmas– I mean, her office for any object that Dumbledore might have been using to keep an eye on my relatives' house."

"I'll send a message to the Order to be on the ready in case we need them." Sirius did not need to hear where Harry was going with this before darting out of the kitchen.

Hermione dug for her fake galleon then pressed it between her fingers. She closed her eyes to focus on what she wanted to send and to whom. Cassie gave Harry a curious expression before heading for the kitchen fireplace. He could tell that Hermione was worried as she pocketed her fake galleon. She too did not bother to ask Harry what he was thinking; she knew.

Whether it would be considered decent, Harry felt a rush of excitement pulse through him at the thought of a possible encounter. He wasn't seeking to fight but sitting around doing nothing while the Death Eaters walked about free was driving him mad. It was time that they paid for the Longbottoms and for taking Ginny.

 **~~~Darkness Rising~~~**

It took only about thirty minutes before everyone arrived at Black Palace, including Mr Lovegood and Luna. Harry wasn't surprised by the presence of the Lovegoods as he knew that they had been staying at the Burrow. Mr Weasley and Ron had insisted that they stay there for their own protection. Harry had kept close tabs on where all the Alliance members had been staying, except for Susan. Susan wasn't keeping in touch with any of the Alliance since her aunt had been named Minister of Magic.

The group had gathered around the large dining room table; Harry taking the head of the table. Hermione was fidgeting nervously with her hands and Harry knew that she was anxiously waiting for her parents to return to the safety of Black Palace. Lupin and Shacklebolt had been sent word to return at once with the Grangers.

"What's going on, Harry?" Bill asked, looking concerned.

"My relatives may be in danger."

"Those Muggle relatives that you live with?" Ron asked incredulously.

"The Muggles he used to live with," Sirius corrected.

"Yeah, Ron. The Dursleys. Now, as Sirius has stated, I no longer call their house home. Just before you arrived Professor McGonagall confirmed that the protection wards faded the moment Dobby left Number Four with the last of my belongings."

"Well … I guess we can't let them die," Ron sighed, sounding disappointed.

"What's the plan, Harry?" Mr. Weasley asked, looking serious.

"You, Bill, Fleur, Sirius, Cassie, Ron, Hermione and I will head to Number Four," Harry rounded off, reciting what he, Hermione, Cassie and Sirius had mulled over several times before the others arrived. "We'll scout the area surrounding carefully before approaching the house. Should anything happen, we can call via the fake galleons for help and Dobby can bring the rest of the Alliance. We cannot risk the entire group falling into a trap."

"What about the Order of the Phoenix?" Angelina asked.

"They'll be standing at the ready. The Ministry is watching anyone that they associate to be with the Order for signs of militia movement. Madam Bones is heavily discouraging any non-Ministry approved movements against Voldemort or his followers."

"Vich means that nothing vill be done. Your Ministry thanked those that came vith me to your Ministry to fight then asked them to leave. I vas only permitted to stay because of my celebrity status. They did not vant to ruffle any political feathers between Britain and Bulgaria."

"Zat tis better zan my people were treated," Fleur huffed. "Zey were practically thrown out of zis country for being part Veela. I was only allowed to stay because of my post at Gringotts."

"I think that it's clear that the Ministry won't be on our side." Harry stood up, bringing the focus of the discussion back to where it should be. "From here on out we must treat the Ministry as a hindrance that needs to be avoided if at all possible. That is why only a small group will be accompanying me to my aunt and uncle's house. The Ministry cannot deny that we should take precautions. If trouble arises, they will have a tough time arguing against us calling for help from our friends."

Fred folded his hands in front of his face. "Just like Hogwarts."

"Same game, different stage." George nodded in agreement.

"Only now the stakes are higher and far more dangerous," Ron interjected darkly.

"Very true, brother mine," the twins said in unison, inclining their heads in Ron's direction.

Harry bit his tongue to keep from commenting on how odd it was to see Ron and the twins in agreement. He wanted to stay on target and felt deep down in his gut that time was of the essence.

"Due to the blood wards of my former residence being no more, I feel that we need to act quickly. While my aunt and uncle may not be the best of Muggles, their lives are still worth saving."

Mr. Granger entered the room with Mrs. Granger at his side. "What's this? Did you just say that your aunt and uncle are in danger?"

Harry could see the immediate change in Hermione at the sight of her parents. She stopped fidgeting with her hands and smiled for the first time since she had entered the kitchen that morning.

"The barriers that protected the house where my aunt and uncle live have faded, leaving them vulnerable to Death Eater attacks. The barriers faded once I moved out."

Mr. Granger spied Harry's guilt. "Not your fault, young man. We'll just have to make sure that they are moved to a safer location."

"We?" Hermione repeated. "Dad, you and mum need to stay—"

"Hidden? Safe?" Mr. Granger interrupted. "Hermione, darling, I'm done with that. This bloody bastard declared war on my family and I'm not about to sit back and wait for him to come calling."

"No offense, Eugene, but you might be out of your depth here."

"No offense taken, Sirius. I remind you though—before I was a Dentist and a father, I was a soldier."

"Dad!" Hermione exclaimed, not seeming to care who else was there. "This is magic! Witches and wizards!"

Harry recognized that Mrs. Granger was standing confidently beside her husband in silence. She gave the impression of knowing something that was yet unsaid.

"Hermione dear, allow me to ask you a question. Do witches and wizards bleed?"

"Of course, they bleed."

Mr. Granger withdrew a pistol from inside his coat. "Then this will do nicely."

Harry had to admit to himself that seeing Mr. Granger holding a pistol with confidence that spoke volumes of experience made him that much more concerned about 'sleeping arrangements'.

"Eugene, that may be good and well, but a Muggle pistol can only hold so many bullets. Witches and wizards can duel for hours on end."

"Don't think that will be much of an issue," Lupin interjected, as he and Shacklebolt entered the room behind the Grangers looking exhausted. "Just finished levitating the last of Mr. Granger's war chests up to their quarters. Has enough to make a stand for several days, judging by the number and weight."

"War chests?" Hermione repeated, looking close to a nervous breakdown.

Mrs. Granger walked over and placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder. "We went to retrieve some of your father's belongings this morning. Sounds like a good thing we did."

"Before you go on about the perils of war, Hermione, let me remind you that for sixty days in the Falkland Islands I was constantly running missions for the British Army. They threw me into the middle of something close to hell and was considered by many an impossible bid. Yet somehow, we won the day in the end."

"One spell can kill you instantly, Mr. Granger," Bill explained, trying to reason with the head of the Granger household.

"One bullet can do the same, young man, if fired by the right person. Now, I might be the nicest man you'll ever meet, but wage war on my family and there will be blood in the streets. Your Voldemort has done just that."

"We could provide him with an enchanted cloak," Fred muttered aloud, thinking hard.

"Won't repel Unforgivable Curses," George added.

Fred scratched his chin, looking up. "But it could protect him from a host of other hexes and curses."

At that comment, Hermione burst up from the table and ran out of the room. Harry started to go after her, but Mrs. Granger placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"You need to stay here. I'll go speak with Hermione."

Harry did not argue. He nodded as he watched Mrs. Granger follow her daughter. He knew that the idea of her father throwing himself into the line of fire would be hard for her to accept.

 **~~~Darkness Rising~~~**

Hermione was nearly at the top of the staircase when she felt a hand grasp her arm. She turned to see her mother standing a step below her with a look that Hermione had always associated with being in trouble.

Hermione attempted to wrench her arm from her mother's grasp. "Mum, let go of me."

"I will do no such thing. You will stand here and explain to me what this is all about."

"What is what about?"

Her mother looked more cross by the minute. "That little display just now. You will explain."

Hermione felt like her head was about to explode. She was angry, afraid and confused. She needed to be able to tell someone why, but there was none that she could tell.

"How could you just stand there while Dad parades a pistol about as though he can possibly fight?"

"Hermione, your father was a soldier," her mother replied softly. "He might not look like the type, but before he was your father he was a decorated member of the British Special Forces. After he returned home from the Falklands, he decided that being your father was more important. He tucked away that part of his life and joined me as a dentist. We opened our own practice together as a way to move on." Hermione's mother sat down on the stairs and Hermione absentmindedly joined her. "When we first found out that you were a witch, we were scared that one day we might lose you to this magical world."

"Mum, you and Dad could never lose me. I'll always be your daughter."

"We know that now, sweetheart, but it was a real concern of ours when our only daughter left home to attend a magical boarding school. Then, the dangers of your new world were revealed to us after you were hurt in your second year at Hogwarts. Now, those dangers have come for your father and me. While I might not be capable of fighting against these enemies, I have all the confidence in the world that your father is."

"I thought that I had lost you both," Hermione whispered. "Now that I have you back, I don't want to risk losing you or Dad again."

"If we stay hidden, are you going to stay in hiding as well?"

Hermione did not respond. She knew exactly where her mother was going, and she knew that she was right.

Mrs. Granger accepted Hermione's silence as her answer. "Then the risk is mutual. Just because you have magical abilities and we don't, doesn't make us defenseless."

"I know, Mum," Hermione sighed, looking down at her knees. "I'm just afraid that I'm going to lose you again."

"They caught us off guard. Now, we've had time to cope with what happened and see firsthand how politics work in the magical world—which is no bloody better than our world's."

"Mum!"

"Oh, buck up, dear. I know that I've always pressed you to be dignified, but this is war. Speaking of which, we'd better get back down there. Your father, Harry and Sirius together along with those twin boys without a decent rebuttal present sounds like a recipe for trouble."

Hermione smirked. "I think Sirius left alone too long with anyone is trouble."

Mrs. Granger pushed herself up, brushing off her pants. "Haven't really had the opportunity to talk, but in case you're wondering—I'm not surprised about you and Harry."

"Me and Harry?" Hermione repeated, stumbling slightly as she stood up.

"Oh yes. He's quite like your father, the more I get to know him. We do love the smart hero type."

"Harry's just so … Harry, Mum. It's hard to describe."

"I said the same thing to my mum about your father. Of course, I was watching your father's deployment lifting off for the Falklands while holding you in my arms." She signed dramatically, taking Hermione's hand in hers as they walked down the stairs. "Though I believe at the time my mother's biggest worry was whether her daughter and her granddaughter would ever share the same last name."

Hermione's mouth fell open wide. "Whaaaa?"

"You were a bit of a fragile girl," her mother hummed as they continued to descend the stairs.

"So, when we celebrated your tenth anniversary—"

"It was our eighth. Made no difference to us. We knew that we'd reach our tenth."

Hermione could only blink as she stared at her mother as though she didn't even know her anymore.

"Now really," Mrs. Granger scoffed as they reached the bottom of the steps. "You're off fighting magical 'Dark Lords' and living somewhere above the clouds compared to where me and your dad are, but knowing that you were born out of wedlock leaves you stunned?"

"I've always seen you and Dad as my rocks of strength."

"We still are, angel. Every rock isn't smooth. Some have some rough edges. There is no fairy tale life, dear. That doesn't mean that it can't end up perfect in the end. You just have to find your definition of 'perfect'."

"You always make it sound so easy."

"That's part of being married to your father. Your father has always been 'let's storm the mountain' while I have to be 'let's take the bridge'. Then, we compromise."

 **~~~Darkness Rising~~~**

Sirius clapped his hands together as the Granger women entered the dining room. "Well now, you two look much happier than when you left. That's excellent cause we could use a bit of cheerful right now."

"It's a mother and daughter thing. Why do you need cheerful and where is Eugene?"

Hermione quickly scanned the room but saw nothing of her father. However, there was a new person in the room that she had never seen before. Her mind quickly playing catch-up, she pointed at the stranger.

"There's Dad," Hermione smirked, while continuing to point at the stranger.

Immediately he looked down, held up his robes and muttered, "What gave me away?"

"I've lived in the magical world for over four years, Dad. Besides, our group doesn't just allow strangers to wander in." Hermione immediately turned her attention to Harry. "Don't need an explanation as to why my father is disguised with glamour charms, so don't bother. What I want to know is why you all need some cheering up."

Harry smirked and shook his head, "Not as bad as you're thinking, Hermione. We just decided to send a scout ahead to check Privet Drive."

"Who?"

"Before you blow, Hermione—he volunteered," Harry said, raising the palms of his hands in her direction.

"Dobby!"

CRACK!

The tiny elf appeared in front of her. "Yes, Mistress Harmony?"

"Dobby? If you're here … don't tell me you sent—"

"Before every house-elf you know stands before you," Harry interrupted, "it was Dobby. He has already gone and come back. The trouble is, that my uncle was very friendly to Dobby."

Hermione's mind dropped into Firebolt speeds as she sifted through the possibilities. Mrs. Granger looked lost at this comment. Before Hermione could explain, Sirius stepped in.

"The Dursleys are vial people, Danielle. They treat anyone or anything that they do not understand with bitterness and hostility. This means that either the Dursleys are being held as bait or that they are dead, and the man Dobby met this morning is an impostor."

"Well, we won't know until we get there," Mr. Granger muttered, sliding a magazine into the bottom of his hand gun.

Hermione wanted to sit and argue about her father's decision to enter the fray, but she knew that it would be of little use. She also knew that he was right – they wouldn't know what horrors were lying in wait for them until they got there.

* * *

 **A/N: And we're back. Hope you enjoyed the update. A little solemn, I know, but necessary. War isn't always booms and flashes of light. Those are coming, I assure you. Please review. Not yet beta'd, but it shall be soon. My beta, like me, has been very busy and I will update with the beta'd version when it becomes available. For now, all mistakes are on me.**

 **This Harry is a tad bit more noble than me. Personally, I'd be tempted to leave the Dursleys to their fate. Feel free to PM me and let me know what you'd like to see happen to the residence of Privet Drive. Their fate doesn't weigh at all on the outcome of my story, so let me know what you thoughts are.**

 **UPDATED: 4/10/2018**


	3. Privet Drive

**The Falling  
Darkness Rising**

 **Chapter Twenty-Eight: Privet Drive**

Harry, Hermione and the scouting party apparated into a back alley near Privet Drive. He knew that the isolation of the alley would minimize the number of Muggles that might see them arrive. Besides startling a cat that was resting behind a nearby trash bin, they had managed not to be seen. Mr. Granger had convinced him to wait until dusk had fallen to approach his aunt and uncle's home. Sirius and Mr. Weasley had also agreed that, unfortunately, waiting a few more hours wouldn't place his relatives in any greater danger if they were being held against their will.

They had discussed to exhaustion the best way to approach Number Four. If there were indeed Death Eaters lying in wait, they would need to find a way to flush them out. Harry's was the most outlandish idea. He proposed that he, Hermione and Sirius boldly stroll up to Number Four as bait while the remainder of the scouting party remain hidden under Disillusionment charms. They needed a way to draw out any Death Eaters that might be waiting in the shadows. To his amusement and dismay, it was the best plan that they could come up with.

As Harry, Hermione and Sirius turned up the street and onto Privet Drive, they kept their wands hidden. Bill, Fleur, Mr. Granger, Ron and Mr. Weasley followed, hidden under Disillusionment charms and at the ready—Mr. Granger hidden beneath Harry's invisibility cloak.

"Wards are completely gone and there's no signs of any detection spells," Sirius muttered, waving his wand towards the house under his robes as they approached.

"No sign of any greeters, either," Harry breathed, his eyes scanning the front yard as they walked up to the door.

Harry knocked and waited, but there were no sounds of life from within.

"Maybe they've gone out," Hermione offered.

"They'd never leave without the car, Hermione," Harry sighed, pointing at the car in front of the house. "My uncle would faint if he had to walk further than the end of the street."

Harry waved his hand in front of the door lock and focused his magic. Immediately, the door lock clicked as the door slowly swung open. He hadn't even bothered to look for the spare key, as the Dursleys had removed it once they knew he had found it. They had thoroughly enjoyed locking him out and forcing him to beg to be let in.

He hesitated as he stepped across the threshold; the house deathly quiet. He flicked on the light switch and slowly began to look around, his wand drawn and raised; something was definitely wrong.

"Greetings, Harry Potter," a high cold voice called down from the top of the stairs. Harry's wand tip snapped immediately to the top of the stairs—several curses dancing on the tip of his tongue. "Strike me down, Harry, and your relatives will be dead before my body hits the floor."

Harry watched as the demon, that once was a man, glided down the steps towards them in black robes that rippled about him. He stopped half-way down and glared merrily at them. His red snake-like eyes danced with delight. Harry saw no wand in sight, but held his at the ready, as did Hermione and Sirius. He could feel the tension pulsing off Hermione next to him while Sirius seemed to exude a feeling of coldness as he stared at the murderer of James and Lily Potter.

"I considered sending an owl, but I doubted that you would accept an invitation to meet," Voldemort mused as he continued to stare at them with delight.

"Don't expect me to lower my wand and surrender, Riddle," Harry retorted, almost smirking as he watched Voldemort's snake-like face twitch at the sound of his name. "My aunt, uncle and cousin were never my favorite Muggles."

"See, Harry, you and I do have something … well, several things actually in common," Voldemort said, smiling darkly.

"We have nothing in common," Harry spat.

"Not true," Voldemort retorted. "You see, we both have a level of loathing for the Muggle world. We are both meant for greatness beyond the comprehension of the feeble minds that surround us. We both have followers that look to us as their future and we both have murderers within our ranks."

Harry felt the tension rise quickly from Sirius and Hermione at Voldemort's last statement. He wasn't certain what Voldemort's game was, but he wasn't about to play along.

"Why did you lure us here?" Harry growled, feeling his patience coming to an end. "Tell us before I decide exactly how I feel about the Dursleys."

"There's that darkness I saw at the Ministry," Voldemort cooed in delight. "As for these Muggles … I assure you that I can sympathize with your disgust. Ginnevra has told us how they treated you. Filth, I believe, is the word she used to describe them. I had to leave Bella with her just to make sure she didn't do them in."

Harry stared speechless at the demon before him.

"Don't look so surprised, Harry Potter," Voldemort continued. "We are playing a very similar game, indeed. Now, before we go any further, have Ms. Granger send the group outside away. They need not die here tonight."

Harry swallowed hard as his anger rose even higher. Somehow, Voldemort was several steps ahead of him and he had walked directly into the snake's coils.

"Do it, Hermione," Harry breathed.

Hermione's face was contorted with rage as she reached inside her pocket. A second later, Harry felt the fake galleon in his own pocket burn.

"Now, where were we," Voldemort sighed smoothly. "Ah … yes. I admit that I was quite surprised myself to hear of Dumbledore's death. It wasn't a move that I expected from the Boy-Who-Lived, but that is why I say that we belong side-by-side. We can bring this world to its knees together – the prophecy be damned."

"You think that I killed Dumbledore and that I would join you?" Harry retorted, chuckling darkly. "That why you haven't killed us yet? You're mad, Riddle. Just as mad as the version of you I met in the Chamber of Secrets."

Voldemort shook his head. "Come now, Harry. I bear the burden of every drop of magical blood that is spilled by my followers. Do you believe that you're somehow above this? Has Dumbledore's Greater Good rubbish finally gotten to you as well?"

"You think that I would order one of my Alliance to murder Albus Dumbledore?" Harry asked, frowning. He wasn't sure what else to say, but he was truly beginning to believe that Voldemort had nothing to do with Dumbledore's death.

"Even if you did not, they acted on your behalf. All to protect the Chosen One. They believe that you can save them. Ginnevra once believed that you would save her. Just like her, you will fail them all."

"Don't listen to him, Harry," Sirius hissed. "He's just trying to confuse you—get inside your head."

"Go ahead, Harry," Voldemort breathed, his eyes reduced to slits. "Let the darkness out. Strike me down and allow Ginnevra to slay the Muggles. You know you want to. Avenge your parents."

Voldemort was taunting him now—daring him to strike. Harry could feel his magic surge as his anger rose. He would not give in, no matter the cost.

"Harry," Hermione whispered, a pleading in her voice.

"I won't play your bloody game, Riddle," Harry spat. "If the Dursleys die tonight, it won't be because of me!"

Electricity flooded the room as his magic surged. The explosion cracked the walls as a jet of purple light burst from his outstretched wand. Faster than the eye could process, Voldemort drew his wand, deflecting the spell as it shoved him backwards. The demon fired off several curses, forcing Sirius and Hermione to break down the hallway towards the kitchen.

"If the Dursleys die tonight, Harry Potter, it will be because of you!" A feral smile spread across Voldemort's face and Harry felt his blood run cold. "As for my game—you have no choice but to play."

"I'll play it my way then!"

Harry sent another curse up the stairs before breaking for the cupboard under the stairs. Sliding on his back, he aimed his wand up. " _Bombarda!_ "

The wooden staircase above him exploded, a shard of wood striking him in his shoulder before he could get his shield charm up. Large planks of wood bounced off his shield as he scrambled up and out of the way. To his delight, a wounded Voldemort rose to his feet at the base of what was once the staircase, holding his left arm.

"There it is … the darkness."

"Careful what you wish for, Riddle! _Confringo!_ "

Suddenly, there was a loud crack and a figure appeared between he and Voldemort. The cloaked figure deflected the spell before lowering their hood. Harry felt as though his mind had gone. Between he and Voldemort now stood himself. Both Hermione and Sirius gasped behind him. His mind was racing as he tried to make sense.

"It is done, my Lord," the figure said in Harry's voice, bowing to Voldemort.

The figure then glanced at Harry and smiled, causing dread to fill him.

"Amazing how valuable a single hair can be."

"Pollyjuice," Hermione choked.

"What have you done, Riddle?" Harry roared, his mind finally catching up.

"You shall find out soon enough."

"I'll find out now!" Harry shouted, aiming his wand at his doppelganger. " _Confringo!_ "

Purple light burst from the end of Harry's wand as his doppelganger deflected the spell once more. Hermione and Sirius reacted as well, casting curses in Voldemort's direction. With lightning fast reflexes, Voldemort deflected their spells. The house groaned as the assault took its toll upon the weakened structure. Harry smiled as he launched a fury of curses at Voldemort, drawing his enemy's attention.

Shouts from outside the house confirmed that Voldemort wasn't alone. The rest of the scouting party had been warned not to use the fake galleons to communicate while at Privet Drive, thus ignoring Hermione's message. Harry had been concerned for a while that Ginny's fake galleon might have fallen into Death Eater hands after being arrested by the Ministry. Voldemort's actions confirmed his theory.

Suddenly, more Death Eaters apparated into the Dursley sitting room and began to flank them.

"We need to get back outside and regroup!" Sirius shouted, casting a shield charm towards the door to the sitting room.

"No!" Harry shouted, whipping his wand up towards the sitting room ceiling. " _Bombarda!_ "

A jet of light exploded from the end of Harry's wand like a cannon blast. Immediately, the upper floor began to fall upon the Death Eaters below. He would bring Number Four down upon Voldemort's head before he'd allow them to leave.

"Let the darkness rise, Potter!" Voldemort shouted triumphantly.

Before Harry could react, Voldemort and the fake Harry disapparated with a loud crack.

"This is bad, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, looking about at the ceiling which threatened to fall at any moment. "We've got to leave!"

"We've got to make a run for it," Sirius said, looking anxious.

Harry reached the door, but was blown backwards as the door imploded with an almighty boom. He heard Hermione scream and Sirius yell out as his back found the floor with a dull thud. He pushed himself up as fast as he could, ignoring the pain in his left hand, and quickly scanned the swirling dust. Hermione had flown into the sitting room wall and Sirius had found what was left of the stairs. The ceiling above him creaked ominously and he knew they had to move.

Harry grabbed a hold of Hermione and pulled her to her feet. Sirius was already back up and pushing Harry towards the gaping hole that was once a door. They toppled through the hole to the outside just as the second floor collapsed onto the first.

"Harry!" Bill shouted, rushing over to them. "What the bloody hell happened in there?"

"No time to explain," Harry replied, trying to catch his breath. "Is everyone okay?"

"Several Death Eaters appeared, but we were able to hold them off. Then as quickly as they arrived they were gone."

"We need to get back to Black Palace," Sirius coughed. "The Muggle and Magical authorities will be here any minute. Neither's arrival will be pleasant, I can assure you."

"You okay, angel?" Mr. Granger asked as he checked on Hermione.

"I'm alright, Dad. We've got to go."

A loud crack marked the arrival of a dozen witches and wizards that formed a circle around Harry the other members of the Alliance, their wands drawn. The scouting party responded in kind by forming a smaller circle and pointing their wands at the newcomers—Mr. Granger drawing his gun.

"Harry Potter!" a tall blond-haired wizard yelled. "Drop your wand immediately by orders of the Ministry!"

"What right have you to arrest my godson?" Sirius demanded as he stepped between the Auror and Harry.

"Lord Black, your godson is coming with us," the Auror stated firmly. "He is charged with the murder of twenty Ministry officials in an attempt to assassinate Madam Bones."

"That's a bloody lie!" Ron growled. "Harry hasn't even been near the Ministry tonight! He's been with us the whole time!"

"Silence!" the blond-haired wizard snapped. "He and a group of hooded figures were at the Ministry tonight. Matter of fact," a dark smirk covered the wizard's face "the report said that he was accompanied by seven cloaked figures."

"Harry," Hermione whispered, "he's the wizard that was watching me on Fleet Street. I'm sure of it."

"So much then for reasoned discussion," Harry breathed, setting his chin.

Red lights burst all around the circle as the Aurors opened fire upon Harry and the Alliance. The Alliance responded by producing shields to deflect the stunners. Mr. Granger pulled his cloak about him to deflect any spells before instinctively returning fire. The use of a Muggle firearm completely caught the Aurors off guard as he was able to drop two by shooting them in the legs. The rest immediately produced shields and broke formation.

"Everyone grab hold of me!" Harry shouted as he raised his wand hand.

The Alliance and Mr. Granger grabbed hold of Harry just as Fawkes appeared above them. The surrounding Aurors watched in awe as the group disappeared in a swirl of fire.

* * *

"What the bloody hell happened?" Rufus Scrimgeour demanded, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

"One of the wizards had a Muggle firearm," the blond-haired Auror replied. "He caught us completely off-guard."

"Off-guard? You're Aurors! You deal with Muggles all the time! How did this catch you off-guard?"

"We weren't prepared for a Muggle response," the blond wizard replied, looking sheepishly. "We use a different approach for Muggles. He must have been a Muggleborn."

"I don't care if he was a centaur!" Scrimgeour shouted, pounding his fist on his desk. "Tighten your game, Mr. Yaxley. I want Mr. Potter arrested and his associates brought in for questioning."

"Yes sir. We won't be caught off guard again."

Silence filled the room and Yaxley recognized his dismissal. He got up and walked silently from Scrimgeour's office, closing the door behind him. Instead of heading to his office though, he headed up to the Atrium. He nodded to the Aurors that were now guarding the entrance to the Ministry as he proceeded to exit topside to Muggle London.

Night had fallen and the London streets outside the Ministry were vacant of life. Yaxley lit a cigarette, drawing on it slowly as he contemplated what new levels of difficulty would be set in place by Scrimgeour. He had wondered if his newly appointed boss would seize the opportunity to rise to the highest office in the Ministry or if he would hold to the line and do whatever he could to protect the Madam Minister. The answer was unfortunate and clear. Scrimgeour had a good heart and a moral compass. If he could not be turned or Imperiused, there would only be one other option.

"Having a rough day?" a man asked, strolling casually up to Yaxley.

"Enjoying your holiday, Lucius?" Yaxley retorted, flicking ashes in the man's direction.

"There are no holidays while in the service of the Dark Lord. What have you to report?"

"Scrimgeour has six Aurors guarding the Madam Minister round the clock and has demanded that Potter be caught. I took a beating for letting them get away."

"Better to suffer being reproved by the Ministry than to suffer the wrath of the Dark Lord," Malfoy sighed.

"What do you think the Potter brat will do?"

"My wager is that Potter makes a run for it. The Dark Lord believes that Potter will turn himself in order to clear his name. If he does, you know what to do."

"I know what to do," Yaxley retorted, biting the inside of his lip.

"Well then, enjoy your cigarette," Malfoy smirked as he strolled away.

Yaxley would have loved nothing more than to have cursed the smirk off Malfoy's disguised face. Unfortunately, he also knew what would happen to him if he did. He threw his cigarette down on the ground and stomped it before heading back into the Ministry.

* * *

Hermione felt and heard her trainers hit hardwood floor as the swirling flames dissipated. Shouts rang out throughout the dining room, alerting Black Palace to their arrival.

"What happened?" Cassie shouted, sounding concerned as she raced over to Sirius.

"It was a bloody trap!" Harry roared, kicking over a nearby chair.

"Voldemort got the best of us," Sirius explained in a slightly calmer voice. "It was all a ploy to lure Harry out into the open."

"What did he do?" Mr. Lovegood asked, his tone somewhere between concerned and excited.

"He attacked the Ministry tonight," Harry spat "One of his bastard Death Eaters, disguised as me, attempted to murder Madam Bones."

Silence filled the room at Harry's proclamation. Her dad placed his firearm back into its holster before picking up the chair that Harry had assaulted and sat down. The rest of the Alliance followed suit, taking seats at the long table. Ron didn't even attempt to hide his intentions as he took Luna's hand in his as he sat next to her.

"Voldemort has Harry's relatives. He kept us busy while he waited for his Death Eaters to finish their attack," Sirius said, breaking the silence. "We had no idea what he was up to until it was too late."

Mr. Weasley wiped his face with his hands. "We knew that something was wrong when Hermione sent the message for us to leave. We were on guard when the Death Eaters arrived."

Fleur sighed, "Ze Aurors were a bit of a surprise." She laid her head on Bill's shoulder.

"Aurors?" the twins repeated in unison.

"Yeah," Harry interjected, folding his arms and leaning against the table, "a dozen Aurors showed up, led by a possible Death Eater, and attempted to arrest me. Now, every last one of you that were with me tonight are fugitives."

"It's not your fault. You had no idea—"

Harry slammed his fist into the table. "I should have, Sirius! He did it with Hermione's parents and now he's trying to do it with the Dursleys."

"This might be a bad idea, but—"

"Sounds like there's been plenty of bad ideas tonight, Weasley," Mad-Eye Moody growled as he entered the room. "Went and shot some Aurors tonight, did ya?"

"Hello Mad-Eye," Bill groaned sarcastically. "When did you get here? You have such a knack for blending in I almost didn't hear you enter."

Moody stumped his way across the floor. "Stuff it, Weasley. This is no laughing matter. Scrimgeour has classified Potter as priority one. The Prophet will have Potter marked as the next Dark Lord by the morning." Moody took a seat next to Ron just as Professor McGonagall entered the room. "Tell me what happened tonight."

Bill scowled at Moody. "Not sure if this is an Order matter, Mad-Eye."

"What do you mean by that, Mr. Weasley?" Professor McGonagall asked, frowning.

Hermione was curious as to why Bill would say that as well. She glanced at Harry who was staring at Bill, a small smirk curving his face.

"I simply mean that the more people involved, the more chances of leaked information."

"You think that there be spies amongst the Order?" Moody growled. "What about yer Alliance, aye?"

"Can you trust everyone in your ranks, Mad-Eye? I'm sorry. I forgot. You don't trust anyone. You probably think Harry is guilty and we're all covering it up!"

"Bill!" Mr. Weasley exclaimed, standing up.

"Not much merit coming from a wizard surrounded all day long by goblins!" Moody snapped, rising to his feet. His magical eye was a blur as it scanned the room.

Bill rose to his feet as well, his arms folded defiantly. "Awfully quick with the inside information from the Ministry. Who does the Order have in the Ministry's inner circle?"

"Wouldn't tell you if we did!"

Professor McGonagall sent up several fireworks from the end of her wand. "Gentlemen! Please calm down! I think we all need to take a deep breath and relax."

Bill, Arthur and Mad-Eye sat back down, but it was clear to Hermione by the look on Harry's face that he had taken all he cared to for the night.

"Forgive me Professor, but I'll pass," Harry said coldly. "I'm done talking and I'm done listening."

Without another word, Harry walked out of the room.

* * *

Hermione sighed as she leaned against the bottom of the staircase while waiting for Harry to finish taking a shower. She could hear the water still running upstairs. She knew that he needed the time alone to clear his head after all that had happened.

"Hermione."

She looked up to see Sirius standing in front of her.

"The meeting over?"

"Wasn't much of a meeting. Harry kind of sucked the energy out of the room with his dramatic exit."

"He's upset. We're all upset."

"You need to go up there and talk to him, Hermione," Sirius sighed, his voice sounding off. "He needs to hear it from you."

Hermione frowned, "What are you talking about?"

"Dumbledore's death. You need to tell him."

Hermione felt as though her heart had stopped inside her chest. She stared at Sirius, unable to speak.

"I'm a Marauder. I helped create the Marauder's Map. In my room at Grimmauld Place, I have an enchanted book that keeps a log of everyone who enters and leaves—even by portkey."

"Why keep it to yourself if you think that I had something to do with Dumbledore's death?" Hermione asked, barely above a whisper.

"Not my place to tell or to judge. However, I do understand why. My advice is, that you tell Harry before he figures it out."

Hermione couldn't find the words, so she simply nodded her response before turning to head up the stairs and have the conversation that she knew was coming. She paused when she felt Sirius' hand on her shoulder.

"He loves you, Hermione. He'll listen to you."

Hermione could only nod as she continued to head up the staircase—her mind racing through all the possible ways Harry might react. She heard the water stop as she approached his room, her heart thumping in her chest as she pushed open the door. Harry was sitting on the side of his bed, wearing only a black pair of jogging pants and rubbing his hair with a towel.

"Harry."

"Hey Hermione." Harry smiled in greeting before dropping his head again. "Sorry I ran out."

"You've got nothing to apologize for," Hermione retorted, shutting the door and sitting down beside him. "Everyone understands why."

"Wish they'd explain it to me then."

Hermione took his hand in hers. "You got hit hard tonight. We all did. We underestimated Voldemort and now we're going to pay for it."

"He played my emotions tonight. He had me questioning everyone before I came to my senses."

"He knew too much tonight about the Alliance," Hermione interjected, mustering her courage. "He was too many steps ahead of us."

"Don't tell me you believe that bit about one of us murdering Dumbledore," Harry retorted, looking at her incredulously.

Hermione withdrew her wand and cast a silencing charm upon the door. She then looked down at her knees and squeezed his hand tightly.

"What aren't you telling me, Hermione?"

"I did it!" Hermione sobbed, tears pouring from her eyes. "I went to St Mungo. I used your invisibility cloak. I did it to protect you!"

"You?" Harry asked, barely above a whisper.

Hermione could only nod as she continued to sob, her eyes closed tight. Her hands shook as he pulled his hand free from hers before wrapping his arms around her.

"Please forgive me!" Hermione sobbed. "I'm a horrid person and I don't deserve you."

"I was going to do it."

Hermione hiccupped as she forced herself to cease her crying before daring to look at him.

"What did you say?"

"I was going to kill Albus Dumbledore to protect you and everyone else from him." Harry's eyes bored into hers. "I secretly hoped at the Ministry that he wouldn't recover from his injuries."

"Oh Harry!" Hermione cried, throwing her arms around him. "What's happened to us?"

"In a sick and twisted way, Dumbledore won," Harry sighed, his voice sounding cold. "He became the martyr and left behind an army that would one day finish the fight—no matter the cost. We're still his pawns."

Hermione's hands shook. "What do we do? Do we tell the others what I did?"

"No," Harry replied firmly, pushing her back so that he can look at her yet still holding on. "This secret must remain between us. Let Dumbledore remain a martyr. Something like this could tear the Alliance apart."

"Sirius already knows. He confronted me before I came up to talk to you."

Harry swallowed hard and Hermione wasn't sure what was going through his mind.

"We'll talk to him later," Harry said, biting his lower lip. "This has to remain quiet."

"What about what happened at the Ministry tonight?"

"I'm not sure what to do," replied Harry, running a hand through his hair.

"One thing you're not doing is turning yourself in," Hermione growled, her eyes narrowing.

A sheepish smile curved his face. "It only crossed my mind for a second when we were downstairs. You know me too well."

"Not well enough," she sighed, standing up and folding her arms. "I didn't know you enough to tell you what I'd done. It took Sirius to make me see that."

Hermione jumped as Harry stood up, grabbed a tea cup off the nightstand and cursed as he tossed it against the wall. "He played me! That bloody bastard lured me in!"

She touched his arm and his shoulders slumped.

"Sorry," he muttered.

She pulled him into a tight embrace and could feel his heart pounding. "It's okay, Harry. The Alliance is still behind you. I'm still here. I love you. Sirius loves you."

Hermione relaxed as he wrapped his arms about her. They stood there for several minutes in silence—swaying softly. While they stood there, the words from her dream floated through her mind.

 _As surely as the sun will rise in the east, you will kill Harry Potter._

She shuddered at the thought, worrying that Harry might question why. Instead, he tightened his embrace—comforting her. Mustering her courage, she pulled away just enough to look him in the eyes.

"Harry, I had a dream."

* * *

A pristine man in a pin-striped suit walked slowly past the barricades that surrounded Number Four Privet Drive. The London Fire Brigade worked tirelessly, searching the rubble for clues as to what had transpired. They didn't seem to notice the man as he passed around the outskirts of the house and into the backyard.

"Gas explosion, I'd wager. Happens a lot these days."

"Good thing nobody was home. Neighbors said they took an abrupt vacation."

"Gas explosion my good eye," a man wearing a hooded cloak growled, as he joined the man in the pin-striped suit. "Muggles can be—"

The pristine man groaned, "Alastor … the firemen are doing their best with the knowledge they have available. They couldn't possibly comprehend what is transpiring in the world around them. As far as they know, this was but a simple gas leak which resulted in the destruction of said structure."

"A lot of words, Albus, to state the obvious," Moody grunted, scanning the area with his magical eye. "Ministry must have recovered the bodies before the Muggles arrived."

"You mean the Death Eaters."

"No difference these days, Albus. We're the ones in hiding now. What do you think our pale-face foe is playing at? He knows that Harry would never turn himself in."

"I do not believe that this was a way to apprehend Harry. Oh no. Tom is playing a much grander game. His intentions are to either turn the Wizarding world against Harry or to turn he against them."

"What if he turns, Albus? The brat has somehow become quite powerful and has a loyal following. You prepared to have two dark lords?"

"I have no fear of Harry rising to become the next dark lord. He will rise up and cast down our enemies in a fearsome war. In the end, I shall rise from the ashes and cast down both—bringing peace to the Wizarding world once more. The greater good shall prevail. In the meantime, we will guide him from the shadows and Ms. Granger has become an unexpected asset. We shall use his love for her to focus his resolve."

"The kid's always been nothing more than a martyr to you."

"Sympathy, Alastor?"

"Sometimes I wonder who's more twisted … you or snake-face."

Dumbledore straightened his suitcoat. "Alas, Alastor, so do I. Did you bring what I asked?"

"Don't bloody understand why, but yeah."

"You will understand soon enough. Time to plant the seeds."

* * *

 **A/N: New update at last! Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review and let me know what you thought. No beta. All mistakes are on me!**

 **I've added a Recommended Reads list to my profile. Check it out! (No self-promotion, I promise!)**

 **UPDATED: 4/10/2018**

 **Q: Should I merge this story with The Falling and continue it as one long story or keep it split into two? Working on Chapter 4, 5, & 6 right now. Let me know what you think!**


	4. The New War

**The Falling  
Darkness Rising**

 **Chapter Four: The New War**

Harry and Hermione eased down the staircase, looking for signs of life. The only light seemed to be coming from the fireplace in the sitting room.

"Just missed your mum and dad." Sirius rose from one of the arm chairs to greet them. "They stayed up for a while but finally gave up and headed up to get some rest."

"How did you …"

Sirius held up a parchment that looked like a map of Black Palace. "Marauder. Remember, Harry? Didn't have one for Grimmauld Place. Would've been bloody useful. So … did you two get a chance to talk?"

Harry folded his arms. "She told me. She also told me that you knew."

Sirius poured himself a glass of fire whiskey before returning to his seat. "That I did, Harry. I hope you understand why I didn't say anything to either of you until now. I knew that she'd tell you when the time was right."

"Of course, I understand. Thanks for letting us work it out." Harry took Hermione's hand in his. "I also assume that your silence means you understand we can't tell anyone else."

"Yes. It would do no good for this to get out. While there are some within the Alliance that would side with you two, there are many within the Order that would never forgive or understand." Sirius drained his glass in one before returning to the mantle for another round. "Guess I should keep this with me."

"So … what's the next step?"

"Well, Madam Bones has made it clear that she wishes to speak with you in private."

Harry stood up, several objects on the mantle trembling. "What!"

"Easy, lad," Sirius hissed, holding up both hands. "She sent word via Aug that she wishes to meet with you."

"That's a good thing, Harry," Hermione added, taking hold of his hand and guiding him back to his seat. "It means that she doesn't believe it was you that attacked the Ministry."

"Or … it could be a trap."

"I highly doubt it, Harry. Word is that she ordered the Prophet to refrain from reporting on witnesses until the Aurors have had a chance to investigate."

"I dunno, Sirius. Hermione said that the large blond Auror was the one following her during the summer."

Sirius rose from his seat, grabbed a poker and began to play with the logs, moving them around in the grate. "Sleep on it, lad, and let me know in the morning. If you agree to meet with her, the Order will help arrange the meeting spot."

Harry shook his head. "No need. There's only one place I'll meet her. Hogwarts."

"Meet who?"

Harry spun round to find himself nearly nose-to-chin with Bill. "Bloody hell!"

"Sorry Harry. Walking quietly is the habit of a good Curse Breaker." The smile on Bill's face rivaled any Harry had seen on Fred and George.

"What brings you down?" Sirius asked casually.

"We couldn't sleep."

"We?" Hermione repeated, standing up.

"We," Ron echoed, walking in through the doorway, flanked by Fred and George. "We've been discussing tonight's meeting and we're tired of waiting. Tired of watching this sod off wanker manipulate the entire world before our eyes. He's got Ginny, Charlie's gone and done a bunk and now our family name has added another mark."

"Another mark?" Harry inquired, stepping to the side to get a better look at Ron.

"He means, Harry, that our family is becoming less trusted by the day," Bill growled. "Our Mum's actions at the Ministry has all but eradicated any sway our family had. It was little, mind you, to begin with, but now Goblins are probably more trusted than a Weasley."

Hermione frowned, "How is your mum?"

Bill wiped his face. "Doing better. To be honest, since Dumbledore's death the Ministry hasn't been all that too concerned about the incident. They've dismissed the charges of treason and have allowed her to return home."

"How's the Order feel about it?" Harry asked, glancing between Bill and Sirius.

"Want nothing to do with her," Fred growled.

"As though Dung has never done anything spotty," George added.

"But we're not here to discuss that," Bill interjected, moving past Harry and Hermione to join Sirius near the fireplace. "As Ron was saying, we're tired of watching Voldemort win. It's time we took it to him and stopped waiting around."

Harry couldn't disagree. He was tired of all this waiting as well and the Private Drive incident had only fueled him. "What does the rest of the Alliance think?"

Hermione sighed. "The Alliance, that was in attendance, and the Order believe that it's best to sit back and wait while Professor McGonagall and Mrs. Longbottom try and work out what happened tonight with the Ministry."

"What say you, Sirius?"

"I told them to—"

"He heavily disagreed," Hermione interrupted Sirius, shooting him an odd look.

"More or less," Fred added.

"Definitely more colorful," George concluded, winking at Harry's godfather.

Harry couldn't help but smirk, imagining what the old dog probably said. The fact that Hermione blushed at the memory told him it was appropriate.

"Before you three walked in," Sirius glanced at Hermione as though looking for permission to speak, "I had just informed Harry and Hermione that Madam Bones wishes to meet with Harry in private."

"You gonna do it, mate?" Ron asked, looking alertly at Harry.

Harry folded his arms. "Depends on her. If I do, it'll be at Hogwarts."

The room fell silent for several minutes while the Weasleys took in what Harry had said. He studied the confliction etched into the faces of the first family that ever accepted him for who he was.

"What about Charlie?" Bill asked. "You agreed to meet with him. Are you still willing to do it?"

Harry nodded. "I am. Make the arrangements. Let's see where he and Tonks really stand."

"Excellent," Bill clapped his hands together. "If Charlie and Tonks can be trusted, they'll be a right addition to the plan we've been devising."

"What have you four been planning?" Hermione's eyes darted from the twins to Ron and then back to Bill.

"War, Hermione," Ron breathed. "A war the old wanker won't be prepared for."

Harry glanced at Hermione before staring into the eyes of his best mate. "What happens if he murders Ginny along the way?"

Fred clapped his hands together. "She's good as dead if we wait."

"At least she might have a sporting chance if we don't," George added.

Bill pushed his long hair back. "We understand the risks, Harry. How much more suffering will we be forced to endure if we wait for this to play out?"

Harry turned to find his godfather still leaning against the fireplace. He shook his head in disbelief at the smirk on the old dog's face. "What do you think, Sirius?"

"You can't take on Voldemort and his Death Eaters alone."

"You willing to help us, or do you plan to talk us into being sensible?" Bill asked.

"Being that any possibility of future employment opportunities has been placed on hold, consider me and my estate at your disposal." His smile faded. "I sat in hell, waiting twelve years for my opportunity to avenge the death of my brothers and sisters. I'm not about to wait for a bunch of politicians in the Wizengomat to decide what to do. By the time they figure it out, they'll be dead. What say you, Harry?"

Harry stared into the face of the closest person he had ever had to family. "Who's still here at Black Palace?"

"Besides us? Cassie, Arthur, Hermione's parents, the Lovegoods, Fleur and Viktor are all still here. Why?"

"Excellent. Wake them, if they're asleep, and have them meet us in the dining room." Harry's eyes found the Weasleys. "I want everyone to hear what your plans are at the same time."

The four Weasleys nodded. Hermione's dark expression mirrored her thoughts and Harry knew what she was thinking. They had shared almost the same dream.

 **~~~Darkness Rising~~~**

Two days later …

"Thank you for meeting with me, Potter."

Harry turned to see Madam Bones stepping out of the large grate. He had been examining one of Professor Dumbledore's many exotic inventions.

"Thank you for the invitation, Madam Minister."

"I must say that I was surprised by the meeting place. Why Hogwarts?"

"I thought it would be obvious," Harry mused. "If this meeting is indeed private, you would have no trouble explaining a trip to Hogwarts to visit Headmistress McGonagall. Especially when it's so close to reopening. Secondly, I trust the Headmistress. Third, and most importantly, this has been my home since the day I received my letter."

"You forgot the fourth point, Mr. Potter." Madam Bones smiled, taking a seat at the Headmistress' desk. "Your Alliance is here, waiting in case this is a trap, and my Aurors are inside the grounds in the event of the same."

"All your Aurors?"

"Only the ones that I trust, Mr. Potter. I know that You-Know-Who has followers within their ranks. To oust them would be to tip my hand. Please … have a seat. May I call you Harry?"

Harry took a seat across from her. "Please do, and thank you."

"Relax, Harry. Professor McGonagall has assured me that we won't be disturbed. You-Know-Who wouldn't dare attack this castle with so many skilled wands present."

"Forgive me for asking, but why are you so quick to believe that I'm innocent?"

"Harry, if you're half as intelligent as the professors of this school believe, you would never waltz into the Ministry, flashing a smile for all to see while murdering Ministry workers. Why would you want to have the entire Wizarding world looking for you?"

"Why then, are we having this conversation?"

"Two reasons, really." Madam Bones leaned forward. "For one, too many witnesses swear that they saw you storm the Atrium. And two, You-Know-Who went to some lengths to frame you and I want to know why."

"Are you asking me to go on the run or advising me to?"

"I'm asking you to play along for a while. It will mean, of course, that you cannot return to school. I believe, however, that it's a small price—"

"Small price? What if your plan, whatever it is, fails? How do you clear someone who's been on the run? Forgive me, but a mere pardon won't cover it."

"No worries, Harry. Once my little ruse has run its course, regardless of the outcome, we shall clear your name. Based on my sources I'm certain that, with a little persuasion, one of his followers within the Ministry could exonerate you."

"Forgive me again, Madam Minister, but what if something happens to you or an Auror spots me and gets carried away?"

"There are always risks, Harry. You should know. Your group took a massive risk luring out You-Know-Who."

"It's okay, Madam Minister. You can say his name in my presence."

"Sorry. So many witches and wizards flinch at the sound of Voldemort, you tend to just start calling him You-Know-Who." Madam Bones stared directly into his eyes. "Can I count on you?"

"Well," Harry sighed, removing the invisibility cloak from he and Hermione while holding the Marauder's Map, "doesn't sound like I have much of a choice."

Madam Bones leaped from her chair in shock. "Who the bloody hell have I been talking to?"

"Sorry, Amelia," the other Harry groaned, stretching as he stood. "All's fair in war. Never known you to play wizard chess without a plan."

"Sirius Black! I should have known!" A smile betrayed her. "Polyjuice potion, I presume?"

"The same way Voldemort sent a fake Harry to the Ministry," Hermione explained. "He used hairs from Harry's room at Privet Drive."

"How do you know this?"

"He had no problem taunting us with it, when we went to check on my aunt and uncle."

"You've seen Voldemort since the battle at the Ministry!"

"Seen him. Fought him. You know how it goes, Amelia, when he and my godson get together."

"Mr. Potter," Madam Bones sighed, ignoring Sirius, "assuming you're really even here, you understand why I ask this of you? The stakes are high."

"No worries, Madam Minister. I understand the stakes. I also understand what an insurance policy is. If you want me to willingly play along, I want a copy of any evidence you have. I doubt that you're taking the word of a source."

Madam Bones lifted an eyebrow. "You had no intentions of returning to school, Mr. Potter. Am I correct?"

"Actually," interjected Hermione "we were of mixed emotions about it."

"Amelia, Voldemort's playing games with my godson's life and with the entire Wizarding world. I'm not comfortable with him playing along."

"I understand your concerns, Sirius. However, we must find a way to end this before he gains anymore power. I will provide Harry with a copy of the evidence we have that proves his innocence. Grant me three months. If we're no closer to stopping him by then, we'll exonerate him."

Sirius turned and looked at Harry. "What do you say?"

"Three months, Madam Minister."

Harry would give her the opportunity, but he wasn't going to sit around and wait either.

 **~~~Darkness Rising~~~**

October 31st …

Charlie cautiously entered the mouth of the cave. Instinctively, he scanned the walls for claw or tail marks, knowing full well that a dragon would never be allowed to nest this close to human dwellings.

"Glad to see you could make it."

Charlie casually turned on one heel. "Interesting choice of meeting places."

"Sirius' idea." Harry rubbed one of the walls with his wand-free hand. "I think he used the catacombs that link the caves in this area as a way to move about while on the run."

"I'm sure that his furry form could navigate the labyrinth beyond with ease." Charlie settled himself on a small boulder. "But why this cave? Why here, so close to the one place they might look for you?"

Hermione tugged off the invisibility cloak. "I highly doubt that anyone would suspect Harry to show up here. Actually, being this close to Hogwarts is very covert, if you think about it."

"I wondered where your new mate was hiding."

"Like you came without Nymphadora," Harry retorted.

"I hate that name!" Tonks growled. "Oh balls. Finite!" Harry laughed smugly as Tonks appeared before them. "That was a bloody dirty trick, Harry."

"Something else you can thank my godfather, aka your dear cousin, for." Harry conjured up four chairs, set them in a circle and took a seat, motioning for Hermione, Tonks and Charlie to join him.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with us today, Harry. You too, Hermione."

Harry folded his arms. "We're here, so let's get on with it."

Charlie looked at Tonks, who nodded reassuringly. "Okay, here it is. We're on the same side here, Harry. If our actions at the Ministry didn't prove that, I don't know what will."

"Your actions only prove that we have the same enemy," Hermione argued. "That doesn't necessarily mean that we're on the same side."

"We have the same goals, Hermione," Tonks interjected. "It's just that we realized we could no longer trust the Wizengamot or the Ministry. Surely by now you have realized the same thing."

"When does realizing that justify working for rogue goblins?"

Charlie smirked. "Okay Harry, I can see that you're still a tad bit testy over the dragon incident."

"Dragon? Try dragons. In less than a year I've had to face down two dragons. Both, I might add, were handled by you before I faced them."

Charlie cleared his throat. "Listen Harry, the first dragon was part of the tournament. As for the second … well, it was merely a cover for our escape. I never dreamed it would mark you as its challenge."

"Well, it did … and don't think that by bringing up the dragon incidents, you can overt answering my question."

"We needed help, Harry, and they were the only ones with the resources." Charlie shot Tonks a nasty look. "If they're going to trust us, Charlie, we're going to have to be up front."

Charlie was less than ready to be 'up front' with Harry. He had explained to Tonks his concerns about Dumbledore's power of influence over the Boy-Who-Lived before he died.

"If you're not going to be up front with me, then let me be straight with you." Charlie looked into Harry's eyes and saw nothing but determination. "There's a new war brewing. One that is going to rock Britain's Wizarding world. Madam Bones means well but the Ministry has their own agenda."

"You believe that You-Know-Who has infiltrated the Ministry?"

"It's rotten to the core and you know it!"

Charlie threw up his hands. "Easy Harry. I was just clarifying your position."

"We agree with you, Harry," Tonks added.

Hermione placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and Charlie could see him start to relax.

Charlie sighed, "Okay Harry … you want me to be perfectly up front with you? Fine. Yes, we're working with a handful of rogue goblins. They're assisting us in our fight against You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters."

"In return for what?" Hermione asked, tilting her head to the side.

"They only want what's best for the Magical world, Hermione."

"Tonks, I wish we could believe that."

"It's the truth, Hermione."

"Really Charlie?" Harry snorted, leaning back. "So, these rogue goblins haven't asked you for anything in return?"

Charlie folded his arms. "No."

"Then leave them. Fight alongside us against Voldemort and his followers. If you're not indebted to them, join us."

Charlie involuntarily shivered when Harry uttered You-Know-Who's name. "We can't."

"Why?" Hermione retorted.

"It's complicated," Tonks countered.

Harry rose quickly to his feet. "Then we've reached an impasse."

Charlie growled as he stood up. "Harry, we're offering our services to you. We want to help."

"As long as you two are working with some rogue goblins, you're a liability."

"Liability?" He could feel the heat rising about his collar. "I'm not the one that allowed Ginny to be captured by the Death Eaters and forced to fight with them!"

"Allowed?" Harry was nearly nose-to-nose with him now. "You think that I allowed Bellatrix to make off with Ginny?"

"You held back! You refused to do what was necessary to stop her!"

"Things have changed," Harry hissed through gritted teeth, the dust swirling about their feet. "Next time I see Bellatrix, Snape, or any other bloody Death Eater, I won't be holding back."

"Good. I'd hate to see anyone else suffer because the fifth-year Chosen One doesn't have the stomach to do what must be done. I'm sure Longbottom won't hesitate."

Without warning, Charlie found himself hurdling through the air before striking the wall behind him. Tonks screamed, running to his side and casting a shield charm.

"Harry, calm down!" he heard Hermione yell.

When Charlie's vision cleared, he could see Harry standing completely still, his wand at his side, and his bright green eyes focused directly on him. Hermione had one hand on Harry's face, the other on his shoulder, trying to get him to look at her. The wandless magic that Harry was projecting through the cave was borderline terrifying.

Hermione turned her gaze from Harry to where he had fallen. "When you're ready to join us, you know how to find us. Until then, stay out of our way."

Harry raised his wand hand, there was a flash of light, then Harry and Hermione disappeared in a ball of fire. The moment Charlie was certain that he and Tonks were completely alone, he sighed in relief.

"Bloody hell, Charlie," Tonks hissed. "Was that really necessary?"

"I wanted to make sure that Harry is ready to do what is necessary to defeat You-Know-Who."

She sighed, "Now they'll never trust us. You just had to mention the Longbottoms. Inadvertently blaming him for their deaths was lower than I expected you to go."

"Trust wasn't really the point." Charlie slowly pushed himself to his feet. "We have a job to do, remember? If we're not successful, it won't matter how hard Harry fights."

 **~~~Darkness Rising~~~**

Harry growled, tugging himself free of Hermione's grip the moment they arrived. Fawkes swirled around them several times before coming to rest on a perch in the corner.

"Harry, please calm down."

"Can we assume that the meeting didn't go well?"

Hermione glared at Sirius. "No, it didn't."

"What did Charlie want?" Bill asked, sitting next to the fireplace.

"Well, from what I gathered, he wants us to trust them, but he doesn't want to stop working with those bloody goblins!" Harry slammed a fist into a nearby table.

"Listen mate," Ron interjected "I know that this room may be sound proof but let's not test it tonight, alright? We don't need a bunch of Aurors searching the seventh-floor for the source of strange sounds."

Hermione huffed, "Ron, I'm pretty sure that the Room of Requirement is sound proof. As much training as we've done in here—"

"Sarcasm, Hermione. Sarcasm." Ron smiled at her before turning to face Harry. "Did Charlie say why he and Tonks are working for the goblins?"

"Tonks said that they needed the goblins' help, but when I offered them to join us, they refused."

"Did they give a reason why?" Bill asked, walking across the room and taking a seat at the large conference table.

"They said it was complicated," Hermione interjected, walking over and standing beside Harry. "Then Harry called them a liability, Charlie blamed Harry for Ginny's abduction and refraining from deadly force, Harry got in his face, Charlie blamed us for the Longbottoms, then Harry blasted him across the cave."

"Thanks for the blow-by-blow." Hermione looked at Harry a bit sheepishly.

"He blamed us for the death of Neville's parents?" the twins asked in unison, looking around to make sure that he wasn't in the room.

"It's obvious that these goblins have gotten into their heads."

Harry took a seat at the table. "Doesn't change the facts, Bill, that Tonks and your brother can't be trusted."

The sound of a door opening and closing behind them drew their attention. Professor McGonagall had entered the room, making her way towards the table.

"The Aurors have finished sweeping the castle. They will conclude by sweeping the grounds and the Forbidden Forest before heading back to the Ministry. The Halloween Feast will start here soon." Taking a breath, she turned her focus upon Harry. "Now, what have I missed?"

 **~~~Darkness Rising~~~**

"Tell me, Albus, is this the outcome you anticipated?" Moody growled.

Dumbledore looked up from his desk. "If I lied and said no, would it make you feel better, Alastor?"

"Maybe." Moody groaned as he collapsed into a chair across the room. "I'll be honest, Dumbledore. A second war with both its leaders running from the Ministry isn't the outcome I was expecting."

"I admit that the levels to which Harry and Tom are prepared to take this fight are disturbing, but alas it is all for the Greater Good. I told you before all this started that the chances of Harry winning this war, only to become the next Dark Lord, were quite high."

"Yes. Yes. I remember your grand proclamation of how you shall rise, like the phoenix that no longer calls you master, to save the world from the Chosen One." Moody's electric blue eye whizzed about before settling on the only wizard he had ever called friend. "But what happens, Albus, if when that day comes, that the world doesn't wish to be saved from Potter? What happens if he saves slash conquers the Wizarding world, and the Wizarding world is okay with that? Where does that leave you and your wit?"

"I do not serve the will of the people, Alastor. I serve only the Greater Good."

"Ready to die then, for real this time, for the Greater Good?"

Dumbledore straightened, sitting tall in his high-back chair. "Absolutely, my old friend, but do not worry. I firmly believe that I can defeat young Harry."

"Harry? Sure. I'll go with that. What about the rest of the Wizarding world? You ready to duel every last witch and wizard to the death?"

"Should Harry die a martyr's death, I shall gladly disappear once more into obscurity, knowing that the world is safe and that my greatest mistake has been corrected."

* * *

 **A/N: Greetings everyone! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review.**

 **Special thanks go to Critters at Play for being beta. All mistakes belong to him. ;) I'd also like to thank my son, JB, for assisting me with this chapter.**


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